Deepest Night
by Dead Chick Walking
Summary: The much awaited second installment of: The Darkness Trilogy. Love, war...and a demented rat? Join all of your favorite characters and a few new ones as the Underland plunges into the: Deepest Night.
1. Introduction

**Deepest Night, Book Two in the Darkness Series**

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Disclaimer 1: I do not own the Underland Chronicles. I do not own Ripred, Gregor, Luxa, Mareth, Howard, Aurora, or Nike. Or any of Suzanne Collin's other brainchildren. 

**Disclaimer 2: I do however own Rae Kenton, Flay, Terrormaw, Azureeye, Erin, and anyone else you do not read of in the books.**

**Rating Warning: This is rated T for violence, language, and disturbing themes; eg. self abuse, war, and suggestive themes. Again, this contained suggestive themes, called 'suggestive' for a reason. Also, beware my cliffies of DOOM.**

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I have been being bugged for so long about putting out the sequel that I finally decided that Deepest Night was ready for revelation! This story will probably be a bit slow since it is not my main project, but I'm sure you guys won't mind.

In the last book Terrormaw, a young female rat, had a baby. Not just any baby, but Flay, the Bane's Daughter. Furyfire and his mate Shadowshiv planned to murder the pup and her mother so that the Underland could evade another war. However Terrormaw and Flay fled the rat's lands before this could happen. The Regalian Council was in an uproar and demanded something be done, Luxa summoned Gregor who has not been in the Underland in four months. When he came back down he met Erin a fifteen year old Overlander who is just this side of a punk rock rebel. Along with her, Howard, Luxa, Ripred and the bats they travel to Terrormaw's cave. After spending a day with Flay they find her to be sarcastic and playful, however just a bit 'off' from living in isolation. Furyfire, not to be deterred his goals, took a group of rats and invaded Flay's cave. Terrormaw was killed while protecting her pup. The only one of the enemy gnawers left alive was Shadowshiv who slipped out of capture at the last minute. Luxa announced that Flay was no danger to the Underland and took her to live in Regalia. Gregor went back home swearing to visit often.

Deepest Night is a bridge book setting the stage for Rising Dawn and introducing a host of interesting new characters and species. Gregor brings Rae down for a visit, and Luxa is not very happy. Howard is in training to be Lord of the Fount and has less and less time to spend with his friends. Ripred has more and more of those irksome duties but manages to provide the same sardonic outlook as ever. Flay is suffering from her mother's death and a recent revelation, she keeps sneaking off somewhere and no one can find out where she goes. The cutters and the darters and massing on the borders preparing to launch an attack on the sleepers. And a certain shadow colored gnawer makes a reappearance.

This book is filled with drama, politics, sadness, love, and war. It is a story about coming to grips with your past and looking into the future with open eyes. So what are you waiting for?

_Delve into the demented scrawlings of a fourteen year old girl..._


	2. And Life Goes On

"_Darkness, shadow…it was a lovely thing, this absence of light."

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**Deepest Night. **

**Chapter 1. And Life Goes On

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Gregor groaned quietly and let his head drop to the table, stupid science. He was in Study Hall staring at a physics book, well, he had been staring at the book until he banged his head on the table. The report was due next week and he had no idea how to explain the different chemical properties of the ten elements he had been assigned, what were they? Plutonium, Carbon, Lithium, and-and…oh who cares.

His head pounded the desk again, Rae, sitting at a desk a few feet away from him looked up. Her eyebrow raised slightly, he only shook his head and she smiled a little and looked back at her homework.

Rae Kenton, man, that girl was brilliant. Gregor hated to admit it, but she really was, a month ago he had told her about the Underland. Rae had taken the Underland in complete stride, something told Gregor that she had had more than her fair share of odd experiences. If you looked at all the supernatural or paranormal things that happened, an underground society of mutant creatures and violet-eyed humans wasn't too strange after all. Yeah right.

Gregor imagined himself telling a counselor, 'Yeah I'm having some depression because a giant black bat died.' They'd have him in a straight-jacket faster than you could say rager. It had been enough having to come up with a crazy explanation of his scars and frequent 'illnesses' to the New York child services people, Rae had helped with that, thank God.

The teenage boy sighed, this was useless, Gregor knew he was going to fail his end of the year science exam, why even try? He closed his book shoved his notes into his backpack, and left the hall.

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Luxa stared at her ceiling. "Kill me. Someone just kill me." she whispered earnestly. She had been living in a hell ever since the end of the fiasco with the white rat. The darkness lifted only slightly when Gregor came down to visit, other than that even Howard and Erin couldn't break her of her melancholy.

Not that it wasn't understandable. Luxa was still trying to hold together the Underland, relations between the humans and gnawers were flourishing, but the spinners were getting more and more distant. Ripred was holding up his end of the bond without too much trouble, but Luxa had grown to rely upon his council, and he wasn't around hardly at all.

The Council was going insane from boredom, they had tried to stir things up so many times Luxa was just about ready to say 'Forget it' and let them reduce Regalia into a pit. Vikus had a recurring stroke, worse than the last one, and he wasn't recovering he couldn't speak or move only stare at the wall and sometimes cry. It was torturous to be in the same room with him.

And then there was that rat. That thrice-damned gnawer. Why had she brought Flay to Regalia? Why? The white pup hadn't deliberately caused trouble but she was still more trouble than she was worth. Flay drove the kitchens mad with her inconstant eating schedule, intimidated visitors, and scared servants. The white rat was only allowed in her room, a small room off of the kitchens, and Erin's room; sometimes the library after hours. Even so, everyone in Regalia knew the white rat was in the Palace, and half the populace woke every morning waiting to hear if the gnawer had slain half of the Palace occupants. No one trusted her.

No, there were some who trusted Flay. Erin simply adored the white rat, and Howard tolerated her for Erin's sake. Hazard also enjoyed Flay's company, he was the only other human that Flay was generally fond of. Preypounce, a grey gnawer who was friends with Ripred, had unofficially adopted Flay. Flay loved the grey gnawer, and regarded her as an odd mixture of a sister and a mother. Preypounce provided an endless supply of love, caring, and wisdom to the younger rat and wasn't afraid to get in trouble along with her; more than once the two rats had Ripred swearing up a storm, after one of their practical jokes.

But it was obvious something was troubling Flay. Everyone could see it, sometimes she would go silent, or just lock herself in her room refusing to see or talk to anyone. When she was in these moods it was like a pall settled on the occupants of the Palace. In short Flay scared everyone and worried a few.

"My Queen?" A hand touched Luxa's shoulder and her eyes flew open, she had fallen asleep and not even noticed it. The teenage girl turned and found herself gazing at a young woman holding a dress folded over one arm, "You are needed to preside over a bonding ceremony. I have been sent to help you ready yourself."

The young queen sighed a little and slid out of her bed, she had fallen asleep fully clothed and with her shoes still on. She had a slight dent in her side where her dagger had pressed into her skin. This was going to be an impossibly long day.

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"I don't care! I don't!" Erin cried, her eyes were puffy and red, she was holding back tears. "It doesn't matter." She said sulkily, exhausted she fell down onto a couch. The teenage girl was in her private quarters, the person she was yelling at was Howard.

"Erin…" He didn't know what to say, he knelt down in front of her, "I'm sorry I am, but-"

"But what?" Erin flared angrily.

"It would not be for the best. I am next in line to govern the Fount, and if Luxa is killed, to rule Regalia. You are-"

"I know, I'm an Overlander. That doesn't seem to be stopping Gregor." She stung, tears were flowing again.

"No, that is not stopping him. I am stopping him." Howard said firmly.

"Get out." Erin commanded, she brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, her face buried into her knees, black hair tumbled over her covering her tears.

Howard reached out a hand to her shoulder, "Erin…"

Erin flared again flinching away from him like he had burned her, "Don't touch me." she cried furiously, "Get out! Leave me be." With a sigh of defeat Howard rose from his kneeling position and walked out of her room. He hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings, but she had to know. He liked her too much and at least now that she was mad at him he would find it easier to stay away from her.

As he stepped out of her quarters he met a pair of glaring eyes. A few feet away from him Flay sat on her haunches, cold eyes boring into Howard. He shuddered and quickened his pace, he was leaving for home soon he had to be at the docks in half an hour. Behind him, Flay, who had been going to visit her friend, whipped around and headed back to her own room.

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Ripred stared at Swiftstrike, "You're certain?" he asked her.

The brown-grey rat glared at him, "No I decided to waste your time with shiner gossip, of course I am certain!"

The Peacemaker shook his head, he wasn't king of the gnawers but he ranked almost as high. There wasn't a king actually, no one gnawer had the backing to claim that title. But in essence Ripred was the leader of the rats.

The large scarred gnawer shook his head, "Thank you Swift, you're dismissed."

"Yes, sir." The veteran saluted him and then she left his cave.

Ripred let himself drop onto his nest with a grunt, this was wonderful. Swiftstrike had been patrolling on the border of the cutter lands and seen a party of darters and spinners cross the border. The cutters had welcomed them.

This was not a good sign, it meant the three were banding together, and if they initiated war, the humans, fliers, and gnawers wouldn't stand a chance. "Damn." It was time to go to Regalia.

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Darkness, shadow…it was a lovely thing, this absence of light. All rats enjoyed darkness to an extent, it was only humans who feared the dark, but Shadowshiv glorified in the obscure, shadowy places of the Underland. The Dead Lands were such a place.

In the Dead Lands, Shadowshiv was as good as invisible, perhaps even more so since she couldn't be picked up by echolocation. She ate well, traveling into the human lands and picking off animals from their flocks, they never knew what hit them.

But it didn't matter that she had as much food as she could wish, that currently she was considered one of the most fearsome creatures in the Underland; her name was whispered with as much frightened awe as the Bane's was a few months ago. None of it mattered, in fact it paled when compared to the reality that Shadowshiv was bored. It was time to go to Regalia.

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"And just where do you think you're going?" sang Rae's voice from behind him. Gregor turned to look at the attractive red headed girl,

"No where," he said guiltily, his face flushed.

"Oh?" she said laughing and sauntered up to him, he was half in half out of the laundry room vent, "Gregor, you're going back down to that place, aren't you?"

"Maybe…" Gregor said evasively, even though he knew she had him. Four months had passed since he had returned from the Underland after rescuing Flay. Gregor had managed to scrape by in science, a fact that surprised everyone. He hadn't been down in a month to see Luxa and the rest of his friends. After his mom found out he had snuck into the Overland with Luxa and Howard in tow he had been grounded for weeks. This seemed to be on Rae's mind.

"So, are you going to sneak back up and go clubbing?" she asked laughing, her green eyes danced, she thought it had been a very ironic joke. Gregor shook his head, "You sure? Even if some girl with green hair says it's a good idea?"

Gregor rolled his eyes, "Rae, why don't you just go tell my mom I'm going to the Underland so she can yell at me and we can get on with our lives."

The girl pouted, "Really, Gregor, give me more credit than that." she put her hand on his shoulder, "I don't want to snitch on you, I want to go down with you."

"Seriously?"

"Don't look so surprised." Rae replied looking affronted, "I'm not some warrior queen, but I think I can handle it down there. I want to come."

Gregor shook his head, "I don't know, I don't want you to get hurt." Rae laughed and laid her head on his shoulder, her wide innocent eyes gazed up at him,

"That's sweet, really it is. But you know what?"

Gregor leaned back away from her, "What?"

"This!" she cried and slid into the vent, then let herself drop. Gregor had only a few seconds to act, he grabbed her around the waist and they plummeted down into the Underland together.

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**A note to this chapter: These sections were all at different times. They went in chronological order. R&R please.**


	3. Bleed Away the Sorrow

**One look at the title and you should know exactly what happens. I suggest you listen to some atmospheric music while reading this chapter, either Pain by Three Days Grace, or Last Resort by Papa Roach. And now on with the demented rat...**

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"_Perhaps it was true. Perhaps she was a monster."

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**Deepest Night. Chapter 2. **

**Bleed Away the Sorrow.

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"I'm going to die…" Flay murmured, "I'm going to kill myself if I'm trapped here any longer." She was pacing fretfully back and forth in her room, her breathing was heavy and she was going faster and faster each time she went across the room. Her turns were sharp and erratic, her odd eyes blazed in frustration.

As a rat her natural instincts were to roam, to prowl around. But the white rat was confined to her room almost all day and there was no way to release her pent up energy or aggravation.

"You're not going to die, Flay." Preypounce said from the doorway, she smiled slightly but her eyes were troubled as she gazed at her foster daughter. Flay stopped pacing and locked her gaze with Preypounce's.

"Yes I am." Flay replied sullenly, "I'm going to claw my way out of my skin if I can't get away." Her eyes blazed with the fury embedded in her words. She is so full of hate, Preypounce reflected. It was true, Flay was brimming over with hatred, for the rats who had killed her mother, for the Council who kept her confined, for the very walls that held her. There was no other choice but for Flay to live in the Palace, but it was torture for her, slowly eating away at her sanity.

And her mind wasn't exactly stable in the first place. Mania ran in her family on both sides, and she had spoken to no one save Terrormaw for half of her life. She was constantly an object of abhorrence and scorn, from rats and humans, the legacy of her father weighed on her and she was confined all the time. No wonder her reason was slowly slipping away from her.

"Oh, Flay." Preypounce lamented and walked over to the young rat, Flay buried her face in the older gnawer's thick grey fur, "Oh, love. I know it's hard."

"You don't. You have no idea." Hot tears slowly trickled down Flay's face, and though her voice shook angrily she kept her face buried in Preypounce's shoulder. The older rat curled her tail around the pup and nuzzled her gently.

They stayed like that for a few moments and soon Flay calmed herself, exerting the control that had helped her survive the past few months. It was a trick she played with herself, pretending ice was spreading over her, concealing all her emotions and covering all the bad memories that reached out to claw at her. The memories caught up with her at night, but the important thing was that no one see her. Only Erin and Preypounce had ever seen her cry after that fateful day when Terrormaw was killed, and Flay intended to keep it that way.

The white rat withdrew from Preypounce's embrace and inhaled deeply, "I'm alright now." she said. The other rat smiled,

"Good, I'll be sure to speak at the next Council meeting to try and get your boundaries extended, I-" The gnawer was cut off at the appearance of a servant.

"Preypounce, the gnawer, your presence is requested." The servant said loftily, he spoke slowly and precisely as though talking to a lower being. But Preypounce took it in stride, she was used to it and swiping at the servant wasn't going to change anything. Unfortunately.

"I'll come back later, Flay." Preypounce assured the young gnawer, she gave her a smile and then slipped out of her room. The servant remained in the doorway, staring at the legendary white rat, probably so he could head to the servant's quarters and gossip.

Well, decided Flay maliciously, let's give him a good story to tell. Her lip raised and her body hunched forward like she was going to attack, a ferocious hiss came from her throat, the servant's eyes widened and he fled. Flay chuckled, a sadistic smile on her face. The smile soon faded however…the distraction was gone, and she was anxious once more.

It was like an itch, to move, to do something. And then she made up her mind, she was going to leave. Ripred had mentioned a tunnel under the Palace that lead out into the Dead Lands, she would slip out there and come straight back once she had breathed free air.

"I'll only be gone an hour or so…" she mused aloud, "Preypounce will come back and I'll be here. It will be lovely to be out and…" Her voice trickled off-she had just realized what she was doing.

Furiously Flay clawed at the wall, "Dammit." she swore vehemently, "Now I'm talking to myself."

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Flay flattened herself against the wall, she was doomed. Luxa and Ripred were walking side by side coming her way, they were deep in conversation but it would be impossible for them not to notice her. She was out of bounds, the white rat had made it down to the bottom floor with no problems but now she was going to be in so much trouble with Ripred.

Flay closed her eyes and stopped breathing, the corridor was dim and there was about a one in one thousand chance they would miss her, she willed them to walk faster and pass her. Right when they were on top of her Ripred stopped, Luxa stopped as well looking confused, the grey rat took a deep sniff. His brow wrinkled, puzzled, he smelled something that wasn't right but he couldn't put his claw on it. He looked around curiously as did Luxa. Flay felt ice run down her spine.

And then, miraculously the two walked on after both had stared right at the spot she was standing. "What just happened?" Flay mused quietly, not finding an answer she hurried down the corridor, opened the stone door and shot out of the Palace, into freedom.

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Fliers were considered the travelers of the Underland, but what people underestimated was the speed of the gnawers. A healthy gnawer could travel at speeds impossible to humans or insects, and when you were a gnawer like Flay, who was running for the joy of being free, you could sprint at incredible speeds. Flay was pacing along the river close to Ripred's old nest, his smell was everywhere as well as the scent of the other gnawers that had lived with him. The white gnawer didn't need her eyes, but she had gotten used to the continually burning torches in the Palace, she clicked waiting for her echolocation to tell her were everything was.

Where was she going to go? She had thought about fishing in the river, but she would get too wet and it would be obvious she had slipped out if she came back smelling of the river. Her next idea was to go back to the cave she had lived in with Terrormaw, but that would bring too many dreadful memories. And so, she merely paced along side the riverbank, heading away from Ripred's old hideout.

The young rat found herself facing a series of caves, the river went into a waterfall, she could follow it no longer. "Now what?" she mused. The waves her voice created went out and bounced off of something, how odd…the stone had strange nicks in it over on one of the walls. Flay crept close to it curiously wondering what the marks in the stone were.

"Writing?" she asked confused. She could read very well, she spent much of her time in the library of the Palace, her grey eyes squinted to see the letters, they were small and fairly weathered.

**HERE LIES MY BOND ERIS**-_As loyal a flier as one could wish for._

And a little bit lower,

**HERE LIES AZUREEYE THE GNAWER**-_A courageous gnawer who managed to overlook prejudice._

Intrigued, Flay crept into the cave, there was an area to the back blocked off, she assumed it was where the flier and gnawer were, but there was also a chest jammed into a corner. There were scorch marks, signs of a fire, on the ground, and bones that had been gnawed on close to it. So a human, flier and gnawer had lived here. Curious about why this had happened Flay headed toward the chest, it opened with a touch, inside were papers that looked like scouting reports, a sword, some leather armor, a skin of water, and-and a diary of some sort. After leafing through the papers and finding no information Flay turned to the diary, she took it out, leaned against the wall and began reading.

On the front page it said in clear crisp writing:

_Day one-My name is Leta, and I am a Regalian scout. The year is 472, and I have recently contracted the plague. I caught the contagion from my bond Eris, the two of us fled Regalia and are now in the Dead Lands to avoid contaminating anyone else. Eris is mad with pain the disease causes, and I cannot fish enough to catch food for both of us. _

_Day two-Today I had the fortune to meet Azureeye, a truly wonderful gnawer of the likes I never thought to meet. She says she came from Ripred's band, but when she caught the plague she left for the same reason Eris and I did. She is a little worse off than I, but she hunts superbly and is helping me take care of Eris. I never thought I would be grateful to a gnawer before but Azure is different, I like her._

Flay read hungrily, she fairly flew through the pages. Only a few were written on, apparently Leta had died before she could write very much. The white gnawer read swiftly at first, and then she saw a name that was very familiar to her. She paused, puzzled, and then read on, slower this time. Her face morphed into amusement, confusion, and finally horror. As she finished the last sentence of the diary she screamed and threw it from her.

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_Day six-The madness of the plague has settled upon Azureeye, without her to hunt Eris died yesterday. I gave her a funeral in the back of the cave in which we are living, I do not block it up yet however. I have a sinking feeling that I am going to have to add Azureeye's corpse to Eris's soon. In her madness Azureeye rambles about her life.

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Flay managed to pull herself together slightly and snatched the book up, she ran to the river and tossed the diary into the flowing water. It was quickly torn to shreds in the rough current, the parchment dissolved in the water and it was gone. No one could know any of what was written in that book. It would ruin her. She thought people stared at her with fear and loathing now, what if they found out what was written in the scout's diary? She daren't think about it. And yet, the passages kept floating to the top of her mind, repeating those dreaded words.

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_Day seven-I now feel such sorrow on behalf of Azureeye! She had pups! Five of them she tells me, but they all died save for one called Terrormaw. Even with the madness of the plague compelling her to speak, she could barely make herself heard through her tears.

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Perhaps it was true. Perhaps she was a monster. Flay had begun to cry softly, all will to return to Regalia had been sapped from her by reading that cursed book. Preypounce would be frantic looking for her, she had been gone two hours, Ripred and Luxa would find out and everyone of the citizens of Regalia would say she was a traitor. But right now Flay didn't care, she felt wretched. Perhaps it was her destiny, her father had been an insane genocidal fiend. Blood always tells.

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_Day eight-I will never think of Azureeye the same way again. She has grown in my respect for all these days, and her revelation only makes me regard her more. After a meager dinner of a few fish I managed to catch, Azure came out of her madness and spoke a few sentences. A few minutes later she died. I am amazed at her ability to see past the prejudice of most gnawers, and even more amazed she trusted me enough to tell me her secret. This will be my last entry, I am dieing._

_Azureeye's Last Words: "My mother sent me away just before the War of the Grey. She said my father was mad, she said I must find a safe place. Leta, you have been a loyal friend, and you will be the only human to know of my heritage. My father, I am ashamed to say, was King Gorger."

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"I am a monster." Flay repeated this to herself over and over her voice choking. The only one of Azureeyes's pups to survive the plague, Terrormaw, that was her mother. Flay was descended not only from the Bane, but from King Gorger as well. The two most infamous rats in the history of the Underland. What was next? Was Twirltongue her godmother? "I'm a monster."

Why had she even struggled? Tried to change her fate? She was being swept along a river that inevitably led to the same path as her father, it was no use struggling in the current. Flay stopped crying. Her lifeless grey eyes roved over her body as though she was staring at someone else. She felt like she was looking at a stranger. A glance of her reflection however assured her that she was still in there, trapped in a body cloaked in white.

White. It was this damn white fur!! If she had been black like her mother no one would have needed to know she was the Bane's Daughter, she could have been a normal rat pup. Her mother would have lived, she would have friends. A sudden feeling of rage and resentment flooded her in a wave. Flay shouldn't be living in the Palace, confined to her room; she should be with other gnawers her age, sparring and playing and just beginning to feel the first stirrings of love.

If she wasn't white!! Flay swore again, and then the ice overtook her. It started at her heart and worked it's way all the way to the tip of her tail, paws, and ears. A numb chill, somehow more dangerous than her raging bitterness.

An odd impulse took her, she placed a long honed claw on her left foreleg, her claws were razor-sharp, she had never killed anything but Preypounce had taught her to fight. Slowly the claw slipped through her silky fur, and pierced her skin, sliding effortlessly into her flesh. With a smooth motion of her right paw the single claw traced a river of crimson into her foreleg. It was painless, as if she truly was numb to everything.

Blood welled from the now numerous claw marks on her limbs, her eyes closed. It was as if she were marking someone else, someone who had stolen her body for a few minutes. Oddly enough, she felt better. Her lifeless grey eyes opened, she watched her white fur slowly stain a dark red color and reflected on the irony that the first creature she had ever harmed was herself.

Exhausted for some unknown reason, she rose to her feet. Flay winced slightly, her limbs were beginning to sting a bit. She had been gone for nearly four hours, they would be frantic. Flay began walking north, toward Regalia, because there was no where else to go. With a sigh she paced along the river bank, after about twenty minutes she plunged into the water, it rinsed the blood from her pelt and stung her wounds.

She already had a story thought up, she heard a noise and went to investigate. Then she found the door and fled, she met up with a band of cutters and subsequently was attacked. It was a good story, Preypounce would believe her, even if Ripred did not. Blood loss was making her slightly dizzy, but she forged ahead, stubbornly making her way to Regalia…

And the white water ran red…

_  
Mutilation out of sight  
And I'm contemplating suicide_


	4. Old Wounds are the Deepest

Ok, last chapter you felt sorry for Flay. This chapter I command you to feel sorry for Gregor! -evil laugh- I'm enjoying writing this. The next chapter comes out when I have some good reviews. And by good I mean more than two words, not polite.

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"_I killed your father, and you're not even close to the threat he was."

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**Deepest Night. Chapter 3. **

**Old Wounds are the Deepest.

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Rae stared like a little child. She had hold of Gregor's shirt so she wouldn't walk off, her mouth and eyes were wide in wonder. The two were walking down the halls of the Palace in Regalia. They had caught a ride on an obliging bat, and were in Regalia about half an hour after they had fallen. Gregor was still a little irritated with Rae for tricking him, but he was glad she was here. He couldn't wait to introduce her to his friends. Which just goes to show, he had no idea the way things worked in a girl's mind.

Gregor hailed a passing servant, "Excuse me?" The servant bowed deeply, Gregor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Behind him Rae giggled a little bit, he shot her a look. "Do you know where Queen Luxa is?"

"I'm sorry, sir, the queen is currently in a meeting," the Underlander said, his eyes kept shifting to Rae. He was looking at her with interest, Rae blushed a little bit. "I can take you to a room where you may wait for her however." Gregor nodded and said,

"Ok, that works." At the servant's confused look he reiterated, "That will be fine."

The servant bowed once more and led them off to a small chamber. It had two chairs and a small table, it looked a little bit like a lobby. The servant left them, and Rae immediately began poking around: staring at the chairs, examining the table, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. Gregor sat in one of the chairs to wait.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Five minutes later Luxa walked in, Howard, Erin and Ripred accompanied her. Gregor stood up, grinning happily. Luxa immediately threw herself on him, embracing him tightly and planting a kiss on his cheek. He hugged her back, but no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't kiss her with Howard watching them. It just didn't feel right.

"Let him breath, Luxa." Erin said laughing, "It's my turn to say hello anyway."

Luxa backed off of him reluctantly. The other teenage girl replaced the young queen, giving Gregor a brief hug. When she withdrew Gregor looked her up an down. She was even paler than before, and bore striking resemblance to a Halflander. She was in Underland clothes, but still had on her combat boots. Her now had soft waves since it wasn't being straightened every day anymore, and the green streaks had grown out a bit.

"You're hair…" Gregor said, his mouth dropped open.

"What?" Erin asked worriedly, her hand rose to her head.

"It…It's gone…"

Erin laughed, "Yes, Stiletto, I cut it." Her hair which had formerly come down her back now only reached to her shoulders.

Howard walked forward to greet Gregor, embracing him as well. There was a thin band of silver circling his head. Noticing Gregor's eyes on it, Howard said, "My sixteenth birthday was a few weeks ago. I am now officially in training to be Lord of the Fount." Erin for some reason scowled as he said this, but before Gregor had time to ask about it Ripred butted in,

"I do hope you don't mind if I don't give you a hug, mighty warrior," The huge grey rat drawled, "And while this is touching, I think we have another visitor." Everyone's eyes shifted to Rae, who was standing a little behind Gregor looking lost.

Gregor blushed sheepishly, "Yeah," he said, "Nice to see you too Ripred." Then he introduced his friend, "This is Rae Kenton, Rae, this is Luxa," He gestured to the queen, immediately the atmosphere in the room crackled with tension. But thankfully Rae smiled and gave a bit of a bow, Luxa nodded to her, managing to return the smile. Neither smile had much warmth in it and the two girls sized each other up like opposing generals before a war.

"And this is Erin," Gregor continued, the girl smiled and gave a little wave,

"So you're the missing girl the News has been raving about." Rae said curiously, Erin grinned mischievously. Gregor rolled his eyes slightly and continued his introductions.

"Howard, of the Fount…" Rae looked Howard up an down, despite being too old for her, he was very good looking.

Howard bowed to Rae and then looked to Gregor, "Is she your-?" Gregor cut him off blushing furiously,

"No, she's just my friend."

Howard looked a little disappointed, as did Rae. Luxa smiled smugly.

"So…" Gregor said curiously, "Where's Flay?" The reaction to his words was not at all what he had expected. Luxa and Howard's faces darkened noticeably, and Erin looked close to tears. Ripred sighed,

"Missing. Again." He looked very tired for a brief moment, and very stressed.

"Again?" Gregor asked worried, this wasn't what he had planned his visit being. And there was no way in hell he was going to be forced to kill another white rat. No matter how crazy she was, Flay didn't deserve that. He even thought Bane hadn't deserved it, even after what he had done to Ares.

Ripred sighed, "It seems our little Flay has found a way to avoid all the guards and slip out of the palace. Preypounce reported this morning that she was no where to be found. This is the fourth time."

"Flay's been acting odd." Erin said, her grey-blue eyes were distressed, "She eats almost constantly but she's a normal size. And then…she gets these phases where, she's almost dead." Gregor looked confused and Erin shook her head, "I-I don't know how to explain it, but for days at a time she'll just lay in her room staring at the ceiling or the wall; we can't get her to eat or talk to anyone. And then when she comes back, she's furious for days."

Erin rubbed her left arm compulsively, and Gregor stared at it. There were three long scars, like claw marks. Gregor had no doubt they were from Flay, so she was crazy…like father like daughter. Erin caught his gaze and put her arms behind her back, "She's a good girl really, just upset." Ripred snorted skeptically, Erin glared at him.

And then the door opened again, as if on cue a slender white rat slipped into the room. Gregor looked at her, she certainly didn't seem insane. Flay was almost full grown and had lost the clumsiness of a pup to gain the grace of a stalking cat. She was finely muscled, but was very slim, making her look delicate. Her eyes still had that faraway, lifeless look in them, but there was a tiny spark deep inside. Like a fire just beginning to burn.

"Did I miss anything?" She asked. Her voice was low and dark, in a heavy contrast to her frail appearance. It was a lovely voice, smooth as velvet and it lacked the husky undertone of her mother. Instead she had a compelling purr much like her father.

"Oh no," Ripred said sarcastically, "We were just wondering _where you were._"

Flay laughed a little, "I was in my room."

"Preypounce didn't see you there." Ripred accused, his eyes narrowed,

Flay matched his hard look with one of her own, "Well she needs to look harder, doesn't she?" She challenged stubbornly. Not waiting for an answer she continued walking, her eyes met with Gregor's, and she stopped, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"How have you been, Flay?" He asked politely, those eyes still made him uneasy. He wished she would looked somewhere else instead of staring at him like she wanted to turn him inside out and see what he was made of.

"Fine." she said shortly, "Of course, I'm not allowed to go anywhere." The white rat turned to regard Luxa, Howard stepped protectively in front of his cousin.

"It is not Luxa's fault you are confined, be angry with the Council not her." Howard said firmly. Flay glared at him,

"Luxa is the Queen." she protested, "If she wanted she, could over rule the council."

Gregor put a hand to his belt, only to realize that he didn't have a sword on. He could tell things were about to get nasty. But then something unexpected,

"Why are you confined?" It was Rae, looking innocently curious with her wide brown eyes staring at Flay. The white rat walked toward the Overlander girl,

"Because I'm _dangerous,_" Flay hissed out the last word from between her clenched fangs. "Your friend?" she asked Gregor. Without waiting for an answer she began to pace around Rae.

Rae stiffened uneasily; Flay was stalking around her examining her with the air of a tiger looking for a weak spot to pounce on. "I'm Rae." Her voice shook slightly. Flay came back to the front and drew herself up to her full height. She was half a foot taller than the red haired girl, and Rae stared at her fearfully.

The white rat snarled, and Rae jumped and retreated several steps. She bumped into Gregor who glared at Flay. The rat was laughing unkindly, "Why did you bring her down, warrior?" she said disdainfully, "She'd last about two seconds in the Dead Lands."

Gregor opened his mouth to retort but Rae found her voice instead, "Yeah? Well you'd last five minutes in New York."

The white rat continued laughing, "You wanna bet?" she said. Finally Gregor burst out,

"I swear if you don't leave her alone…"

"You'll what?" Flay spat, she stood up once more, glaring at him dangerously. "Oh, mighty warrior." The title was let out at a hiss, with the sound of a mocking insult.

Gregor stepped protectively in front of Rae, his dark look matched the rat's. She was intentionally goading him, and he knew it. His rager sensation buzzed in the back of his head, "You just leave her alone."

Flay sneered derisively her eyes burned into him, "Fine, you'll do instead."

Throwing caution to the winds Gregor retorted angrily, "I killed your father, and you're not even close to the threat he was."

"Is that a challenge, warrior?" She snarled, "There's no one to die for you this time." Flay was angry, she didn't know why. But she wanted to hurt someone, and Gregor was the perfect target.

Rage flooded him, guilt and remorse stung at his heart. He forgot he had no weapons, he forgot that the one goading him was probably insane, and he forgot that he was in the middle of his friends. Now all he knew was that he wanted to hurt Flay and make her pay for what she had said. "I'll kill you." he choked out and lunged at the white rat. Luxa, who had seen Gregor slowly losing his calm, had worked her way behind him. As he lunged she grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Do it, then." Flay urged. "Kill me." She wanted him to try. Gregor stared at her, murder in his eyes. The white rat snarled at him, but deep in her eyes she implored him. Do it, kill me, end this. _I want to die._

Luxa had one of Gregor's arms and Howard hurried over to grab his other one. Between the two of them they managed to hold Gregor back long enough for Luxa to talk to him. On hand patted him on the back in an attempt to calm him, she whispered soothing words in his ear. Tears coursed down his cheeks. Flay retreated slightly.

"Pathetic." she spat derisively, and left the room.

Gregor fairly collapsed onto the floor and buried his face in his hands. Flay had deliberately reminded him of Ares. He had attempted not to think about Ares's death, he had wanted to remember only the times they had been happy together. And now the guilt was back…it had been his fault. No one to die for you. It was true, if Ares hadn't sacrificed himself he wouldn't have killed the Bane. But the pain was still there, it had been waiting for a moment like this. And now it jumped out at him.

Luxa knelt down beside him and held him close, still murmuring kind words. Ripred snarled, "Erin, come." he commanded.

The girl jumped slightly, "Where are we going?" Ripred squealed a single word in the rat tongue and then left the room. Erin sighed, and followed him regretfully. The word, Discipline, rang in her mind.

Wordlessly, Rae walked over to Gregor and Luxa. The two girls gave each other looks of mutual understanding and helped the sobbing boy to his feet. Howard leading the way, they brought him to his room.

* * *

Ouch. They both hit below the belt. Gregor brought up the Bane, Flay brought up Ares. Ooooh the irony. 


	5. She Likes You, Stupid

I know you guys have been waiting. So, here's the next chapter. I won't be able to do too much more until X-mas break, I'll be busy with school, my site, and all the other fanfics I have going on.

* * *

"_That wasn't even right. In any sense of the word."

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_

**Deepest Night. Chapter 4. **

**She likes you, stupid.

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**

A day after his screaming fight with the Bane's Heir, Gregor was staring at himself in the mirror. He was in charcoal colored pants and a fancy kind of shirt with a gold border around the hem. A sword hung at his belt, now that he was back down in the Underland he felt uncomfortable without it. With a shrug Gregor walked out of his room and into the hallway, and he began the walk to the High Hall where a feast had been prepared.

Luxa had been frantic about him after he fairly collapsed. In an odd moment of cooperation Rae and Luxa had taken him to his room after he had sunk to the floor in tears. Gregor had refused to talk to either of the girls and eventually they had left him alone. As soon as he was by himself he had thrown himself onto the bed and cried.

Gregor hadn't all out cried for a long time, but he did then. He sobbed for upwards of an hour and when he couldn't cry anymore he lay staring at the ceiling and thought. Thought about everything, about Luxa, about Flay, about his family, but mostly about Ares.

Ares had been his best friend, even though Gregor had only known him for about a year. And even though he had let Ares go, Gregor still couldn't get over the guilt. The guilt, the thought, that it had been his fault Ares died; it hung over him constantly.

"Gregor?" It was Howard, the older boy's hand was on Gregor's shoulder, "Are you alright?" His voice was compassionate, not pitying. Gregor gave him a small smile, Howard knew, Howard understood. He had lost a bond too, and he was perhaps the only person that could understand what Gregor felt. "He will fly with you always." Howard reminded him kindly. He let it go at that and took his hand off of Gregor's shoulder. The two walked silently into the High Hall.

For a brief moment Gregor wondered why they always seemed to through feasts, it was like a regular thing for the Regalians. Every time he came down there was a feast prepared for some reason or the other. And then he saw Luxa…

She was in a deep green gown with long sleeves that gathered at the wrist. The bodice was trimmed in silver and there was an inset of lavender in the flowing skirt. Luxa had exchanged her simple gold band for a delicate tiara. With a slightly wary look the young queen approached Gregor, "Are you feeling better?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, much." Gregor told her, "You look beautiful." he blurted without thinking. Luxa blushed a little and graced him with a radiant smile.

"Thank you." She replied modestly, "Come." Luxa beckoned him to the table. He followed her, Howard walked ahead a bit and sat in a seat close to the head of the table.

As Gregor walked he noticed Rae in a rich royal blue dress and gold trim. She waved at him and then turned back to her neighbor, a young Fount guard, and continued her conversation with him. Gregor glanced at the table, it was diverse in it's species and ages. Near the head he saw Ripred and Flay, seated next to Flay was a slender grey gnawer that he remembered only vaguely. Between Ripred and Flay was an empty seat, Gregor assumed it was for Erin whom he didn't see in the Hall.

The moment she caught sight of him Flay stood up, Gregor tensed automatically. Ripred glanced at Flay as she stood and then turned to Gregor, the grey rat made eye contact with him for only a few seconds but it was enough for Flay to walk over to him.

"What?" he snapped irritably, Gregor really didn't want to deal with this crazy rat right now, he couldn't imagine what she might say to him next.

"It has been brought to my attention…quite…forcefully, that I was out of line." Flay scowled as she said this but seemed sincere enough, Gregor stared at her shocked. This was the last thing he expected from her. "I am sorry for causing you hurt."

"It's fine." Gregor told her. He realized he may have been a bit hard on her, she had been through almost as much as he had.

Flay laughed sinisterly, "No it isn't. You're just saying that." Gregor glowered at her but before he had time to retort a mocking voice called out,

"Flay, what are you doing to that poor boy?" It was Erin.

"Nothing, Erin, just trying to decide how to eat him." Flay responded sarcastically, the white rat walked over toward her friend and Erin stroked the fur on her neck. Gregor had the odd impression of a lion tamer as he looked at the two off them.

There were a few murmurs up and down the table as Erin sat down, some because she was talking to the white rat, although most were from assorted young men. Luxa and Rae's dresses were both obviously Underland style, Erin's was more of a hybrid. It was a sleeveless off the shoulder dress in a dark purple. Erin had modified it by adding a black velvet corset and had painstakingly sewn more black velvet in a lacy pattern below the corset. The velvet lace crawled around her hips like spider webs and accentuated the curvature of her body.

Gregor sat down at the table, most people had already loaded up their plates. "Greetings, Warrior." said the grey female rat next to Flay. Gregor nodded to her but for the life of him couldn't remember her name, he flushed sheepishly. Ripred smirked and said,

"Well since the mighty warrior seems to have forgotten, I'll do the introductions." The grouchy grey rat gestured toward the other, "This is Preypounce, she is Flay's foster mother." Flay stuck her tongue out at Ripred, he ignored it and continued, "She also happens to be Razor's last surviving child."

Gregor stared at Preypounce for a moment before it clicked. "No way…" he breathed before he could stop himself.

"Does that shock you?" Flay sneered. Preypounce shot her a look and the white rat quieted. Gregor was having a little trouble coming to terms with the irony of the situation. That meant Flay's father had killed Preypounce's father…and now Preypounce was her foster mother. That wasn't even right. In any sense of the word. Gregor shifted uncomfortably and stared at his plate, he picked absently at his food.

More toward the head of the table Rae and Luxa were talking in cool polite tones. "How long have you known Gregor?" Luxa questioned, Gregor noticed a hard look in her eyes that he had never seen before.

Rae smiled charmingly, "Oh, about eight months I suppose," she spoke in an offhand way like it didn't really matter, "I'm over at his house a lot." Luxa's civil smile slipped a bit and she replied,

"I see, you must be very good _friends_." The queen laid severe emphasis on the word friends. It sounded very much like a threat.

Flipping her long red hair, Rae responded in a similar manner, "Yes. I am certain you are good friends with him as well."

"The best." Luxa parried, she sat up straighter in her seat. Her queenly demeanor was firmly in place as she looked down on the other girl. Rae looked unconcerned about the disdain Luxa barely masked, and held her smile firmly in place.

"I am certain that as the warrior, he is a good person to have on your side." Rae's voice took on a slightly harder tone, a vague note of accusation was hidden in her words.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing much." The girl said innocently, her brown eyes had the look of a cobra ready to strike, "Just that being able to call on him whenever there's trouble, must be nice."

Luxa lost her calm politeness and her visage grew cold, "Are you suggesting, that I use him?" Her words where a very quiet whisper, but there was a hint of deadly anger.

Gregor turned apprehensively to Erin, who was seated across the table watching the verbal spar with a look of interest. "What's going on?" he asked anxiously throwing glances back at the two girls.

Erin rolled her eyes, "They're competing for territory."

"What territory?" Gregor was confused.

"You." Erin replied briefly. She looked slightly aggravated at the interruption and turned back to watch Rae and Luxa.

"Why is Rae acting like this?" Gregor mused to himself. Normally the red haired girl was quiet and innocently kind. Now she had the manner of someone in the midst of a battle.

"She likes you, stupid." Flay sneered. She was eating at a steady pace but wasn't as boisterous an eater as Ripred, who stuck his entire face into random bowls of food. In fact she was disgusted by the older rat's way of eating. Living in the Palace for most of her life Flay had rarely eaten anything freshly killed, and her food was almost always cooked.

Gregor jumped slightly, he hadn't been aware anyone could hear him, "I don't get it." he observed.

Flay rolled her eyes, "They both like you, they're basically trying to prove who has the most claim over you. Each one is presenting reasons why the other shouldn't have you. Rae suggested Luxa is using you as a political pawn and…" The white rat paused listening to the next verbal jab, "And Luxa has just foregone all social barriers and called Rae a red haired jezebel. Things will get nasty soon." she observed sagely.

Ripred glanced at her, Flay was talking as if she had experience in the subject, and he was quite certain that she had none. Although, some things like that seemed instinctual for females. He shrugged mentally and turned his attention to the two young girls.

"Alright, we get the point." He snapped, "Now both of you kindly shut up." The two quieted and looked at Ripred in surprise as if they had just realized they weren't the only ones in the room. Luxa scowled, Rae blushed, and Ripred turned away burying himself into a vat of shrimp in cream sauce.

Gregor shifted nervously in his seat and focused his attention on the food he had barely touched. All of his senses were open and searching for something to comment on that wouldn't set someone off. A light sweet smell drifted to his nose.

It was faint and almost entirely covered by the heavy aromas of the feast. Gregor sniffed again, the smell was out of place among all of the rich Underland foods. It reminded him of hot summers in the Overland. Some kind of fruit, he identified.

"What smells like strawberries?" He finally asked, he thought it was strawberries that he smelled. Erin and Flay looked at each other and began to laugh softly. Ripred emerged from his food and said,

"That would be the little demon over there." The grey rat looked disapprovingly at Flay who merely rolled her eyes, "Erin got to her…" Ripred said in mock regret, "Now she's more human than rat, I swear."

Flay scowled at him, "Am not!" she retorted angrily.

Ripred scoffed, "You prefer cooked food to raw, you can barely hunt, and you take a bath once a week."

A bath? Gregor was amused by the sudden image of the morose and aggressive white rat covered in bubbles. Flay shot him a 'don't even go there' kind of look, before turning to glare at Ripred.

"Just because I don't take pride in living in my own filth, doesn't mean I'm not a rat." Flay snarled. The two rats looked ready to leap at each other but Erin intervened hurriedly. Gregor gave a sigh it seemed anything he said or did lately resulted in something like this. Why was everyone at each other's throats?

------

Everyone was just settling into the dessert course when a servant slipped into the High Hall, his face was calm but his steps were hurried and he looked slightly disheveled. Something told Gregor that he had run the whole way here. He braced himself for bad news.

The servant bowed to Luxa and then whispered into her ear. The queen's eyes widened, in surprise or worry Gregor couldn't tell. Luxa composed herself and sent the servant away, then she stood gracefully. Her land lifted slightly and she made an odd gesture and swept out of the High Hall, Aurora followed. Ripred gave a regretful kind of longing glance at the rest of his plate, but he stood as well and walked after his royal bond. Gregor hesitated but eventually stood and began to walk out of the hall.

When he reached the exit he stopped and turned to see if anyone else was coming. Nike was on her way, Howard, Erin, Rae, and the two rats were standing as well. Gregor watched slightly shocked as Howard attempted to assist Erin out of her chair and was coldly rebuffed. Without a backward glance Erin strode out of the hall.

Now, Gregor was confused, he had been here not too long ago and the two had been getting along fine. Better than fine if you wanted to be precise. Curious to see what had happened he wondered who he should ask. Howard would probably be uncomfortable talking about it, there was a fifty-fifty chance Erin would stab him, Nike was loyal to Howard and probably wouldn't tell him anything personal, and Preypounce probably didn't know. Which left…Flay. Gregor scowled at the prospect of talking to the white rat once more, but she could probably tell him what he wanted to know.

Gregor lingered behind waiting for Flay, who was the last to exit the High Hall. She smirked as she saw him and said quietly, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, actually." Gregor replied curtly. He really didn't like this rat, her knowing and condescending gaze made him want to hit her. Hard. Preferably with some kind of blade.

Flay's smirk widened slightly and her mocking tone continued, "So pleased I can be of assistance, oh, mighty warrior."

Gregor scowled at the rat, who met his hard look with one of insincere innocence. "What's up with Erin and Howard?" Flay gave a short laugh,

"You mean, why aren't they all over each other?" The white rat rolled her eyes at Gregor's slight discomfort at her choice of words, "It isn't like they were subtle. Well, Howard finally figured out that Erin was an Overlander, and that it would be generally unacceptable for the Lord of the Fount to marry an Overlander. Being denser than a crawler, he can't grasp the concept of flirting and messing around. So he assumed that if he continued the relationship with Erin he would be expected to wed her." Flay glanced at Gregor, "Do you see where this is headed?" she asked.

Gregor could see exactly where it was headed but he made a gesture for Flay to continue her story, which she did with a shrug.

"Anyway, Erin didn't take it well and there was screaming and crying and some hitting." Gregor looked shocked, so Flay elaborated, "The histrionics were Erin's bit, Howard just looked on helplessly and attempted to calm her down. Now Erin avoids him and he goes out of his way to be nice to her."

"So, they broke up?" Gregor summarized. Flay nodded.

By this time they had reached the war room and Gregor walked straight in past Ripred who was guarding the door. As Flay attempted to brush past Ripred, the grey rat blocked her.

"What the hell?" Flay exclaimed angrily.

"No war meeting for you, pup." Ripred told her in a fake cheery voice.

"I'm hardly a pup!" The white rat protested, "Why can't I go?"

"You may be a demon, but you're still a pup," Ripred replied, "And you can't go because you don't need to. And honestly? I don't trust you." Flay glared daggers at him and tried to push past the older rat, but Ripred stood firmly. Flay unleashed a volley of profanity. Ripred's eyebrow raised, "Where did you learn language like that?" he asked, "No, wait. I know." With this he stuck his head in the room and called, "Erin! Stop teaching Flay Overland swear words."

From inside the room came a mischievous kind of giggle. Outside, Flay stalked away from Ripred with a look of fierce determination on her face. "Don't go sneaking off now!" he mocked her retreating form. Flay smirked, that was exactly what she planned to do, and this time: she wasn't coming back

------

Luxa fidgeted anxiously with her tiara while she and the rest of the group waited for Ripred to come back in. The bad-tempered rat sauntered into the room and sat down, saying as he did, "Well, I took care of her."

"Ripred!" Preypounce protested.

"Oh, get over it Preyprance," Ripred sneered, proud of the nickname which he had made up on the spot, "You know she's a bad one, just like her mother." Preypounce ignored the epithet and scowled,

"Flay's a good girl, and she would be better if you stopped picking on her constantly." Preypounce said protectively. The grey female really cared for the young rat who was an odd combination of a daughter, a sister, and a friend.

Ripred sneered derisively, "You sound like Razor. And everyone knows what happened to him." Preypounce's face was contorted with anger and she was about to reply with a string of choice insults and swears, but was interrupted by Luxa.

"Are you two quite finished?" She burst out angrily. Ripred looked taken aback by her sudden exclamation and was shocked into silence. "A dilemma has arisen." Luxa said cryptically. Then she laughed, "Dilemma is a bit of an understatement."

The young queen lowered her head into her hands briefly then looked up and murmured, "The spinners assaulted and killed one of our patrols." Everyone in the room looked shocked save Rae and Gregor. Gregor because he had experienced the spinners' ruthless viciousness, and Rae because she had only a vague idea of what spinners were.

"This means war." Ripred said quietly.

"I know what it means!" Luxa snapped, then her voice lowered once more, "The cutters and spinners have had dealings before. But we have recently been informed that the darters have also joined this alliance."

Ripred scowled, "The darters want one thing."

"The extermination of the sleepers." Preypounce whispered sorrowfully. The Overlanders in the room exchanged a bewildered look, but the everyone else just continued talking, oblivious to their confusion.

"The sleepers were never our friends." Howard said to Luxa, "In fact they were more our enemies."

Ripred snarled, "They were _our_ friends. The sleepers and the gnawers have been allies for years! We must go to their aid."

Luxa glanced at her bond, "The gnawers and the humans may be at peace, however, the sleepers have made no attempt at negotiating with us."

Ripred's voice was sarcastic, "Because the Crystal Grotto is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. It takes days to reach it!" Ripred replied angrily. Preypounce nodded emphatically.

"The Crystal Grotto?" Gregor asked, finally saying something in the midst of the argument.

Nike bent close to him to murmur, "The sleepers' dwelling, it is very far, on the border of the Uncharted Lands." Gregor nodded and finally said,

"There's going to be a war again, isn't there?" Luxa turned to him,

"Whether we help the sleepers or not, the spinners and cutters will undoubtedly attack us." The young queen looked at him with pleading eyes, "You do not have to stay."

Gregor gave a short laugh and shrugged, "You know me, I love wars." This got him an eye-roll from Erin, "I'm staying, just as soon as I send something back up." He didn't specify exactly what he was sending up, but everyone's gaze turned to Rae.

"What?" She said warily as she saw everyone staring at her.

Erin laughed, "Ariadne can take her."

* * *

Rae: -whines- I don't wanna go!  
Me: Too bad. You were one of my least favorite characters anyway. I only brought you down so you could get scared by Flay.  
Preypounce: Wait...'Razor's last surviving child'? Where's Fangsong!?  
Me: Ummmm...-runs away- No spoilers for you! 


	6. Secrets

"_Let's waste time…chasing cars…around our heads…"

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_

**Deepest Night. Chapter 5.**

**Secrets

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**

The anger at not being allowed in the war meeting had melted. Flay was now amused that Ripred had actually considered her a threat. Normally he would have let her in, certain that she couldn't do anything that might interfere with the plans. His concern that she would betray them, his fear; it showed that he respected her. And Flay was content in that knowledge. At least, that is what she told herself.

Deep down however, those dark thoughts were running rampant in her mind. They thought she would betray them. They knew she would betray them. Because she was a monster, because it was in her blood. Flay saw the looks they gave her, and she hated them. Hated the looks, the whispers, and the people. Hated them for making her feel different, and for reminding her of her blood and madness ridden past. Hated them for the sake of hating something.

Why was she filled with so much hate? So much anger? For so long she had been empty of everything, and when she did feel something it was a kind of echoing sorrow. But now…now it was like she was constantly filled with loathing for everyone and everything. Nothing amused her, and nothing made her happy. It just filled her with an uncontrollable rage, and the desire to lash out at something. Unfortunately for her, the only thing she had the power to harm was herself.

Flay sighed and looked down at her forelegs. Her vibrant white fur was criss crossed with jagged black scars. It looked like shattered glass. The fur grew quickly over the wounds, but if anyone looked too closely at her they would see the marks of her tormented life.

With a small grunt she pushed off from the wall upon which she was leaning and continued down the narrow tunnel. It had been a simple thing to sneak out of the Palace; the guards were so inattentive, because the warrior was in the city. Gregor's presence made everyone feel more secure.

She had just made it out the door, and she smiled, allowing herself a sigh of relief. Finally, she was out of that jail cell they called the Palace, and she was never ever coming back. The white rat hummed a few bars from a song. It was an Overland song that Erin had let her listen to. Although she would never admit it, Flay adored the music Erin had introduced her to. Most of the songs seemed to have something to do with love, and a lot of them screamed, but either way Flay loved the music.

"Let's waste time," Flay sang quietly, one of her favorite songs although she didn't exactly know what the words meant, "Chasing cars, around our heads. I need your grace, to remind me, to find my own."

"You sing beautifully." A low voice echoed in the narrow tunnel. Flay jumped violently, and twisted around to see the origin of the voice. She saw a scarred grey rat who looked faintly amused and just a bit disdainful. "You didn't think we were just going to let you go did you?"

Flay's grey eyes widened in fear, some voice within her rose to the occasion. Soon she was engrossed in a mental battle. _He'll kill you if he catches you._ He wouldn't do that. _Oh yes he would. You are a threat._ What do I do? _Run!_

-----

"Why did you bring her down here?" Luxa demanded angrily, her eyes were hard, but she looked close to tears.

Gregor was pleading with her, "I didn't bring her down! She came on her own! I had no choice!"

Luxa scowled, "You always had choices! You could have chosen not to tell her about the Underland-"

"She would have told the authorities-"

"You could have chosen to stop her from leaping-"

"There was no stopping her-"

"You could have told the bat to bring her back-"

"She wouldn't have gone-"

"You could have done something!" Luxa finished angrily; tears glistened in her violet eyes. Gregor knew he was in trouble, but he couldn't help noticing how lovely she was, even this way.

"Luxa…" He said softly attempting to put his hand on her shoulder.

Luxa glared at him, and stepped backwards away from his outstretched hand. "There is no excuse for this Gregor!" she told him.

Gregor got angry again, "Maybe there isn't an excuse, but there is an explanation!" he retorted.

"Oh?" Luxa challenged.

"Yeah!" Gregor yelled, "You're a spoiled, stubborn queen, who can't deal with someone who stands up to you!"

"How dare you!" Luxa shrieked. The two were in her quarters, and this had been going on for fifteen minutes now. As soon as Rae was safely on a bat to the Overland, Luxa had dragged him to her quarters where they had begun fighting.

Gregor glared at her fiercely, and attempted to ignore the tears threatening to pour down her pale, flawless skin, "Why did you have to jump down her throat? She didn't do anything to you!"

"Didn't do anything?" Luxa was at the boiling point now, they two were inches from each other's face, "She did everything!"

"So sorry to interrupt." drawled a low caustic voice from the door. Ripred stood staring at the two, a small smile played around his scarred face. He knew exactly what he had stumbled into, and it was plain on his face he didn't care.

"Get out." Luxa ordered, "You have to right to be here now."

"Oh, but I do," He said and dragged Flay into sight; he was grasping her by the scruff of her neck. The white rat struggled in vain and scowled. Her shoulder was sliced open from her attempt to escape in the tunnel. Ripred was much faster than she had given him credit for.

"What is the meaning of this?" Luxa demanded, she was slowly regaining her composure, a trembling hand reached up to straighten her crown.

Ripred threw Flay into the room, she stumbled and fell. Standing up, she glared at him angrily. "She was attempting to escape."

"Is this true?" Luxa questioned, she gave the white rat a stern look.

"Never a truer word spoken." Flay spat, "I could hardly wait to leave this place." The white rat radiated waves of fury, and disgust was plain on her face.

Gregor stared at her with a mixture of surprise and fear. "How did she get out?" he asked Ripred.

"The tunnel we practiced echolocation in. She's clever, I'll give her that," he said grudgingly. Flay merely sneered. "Where were you going?" Ripred demanded of her.

"To talk to someone." The white rat said in an infuriating sing-song voice.

"Who?" Gregor pressed.

"Friend of the family." Flay replied evasively. She was clearly enjoying herself.

Ripred, however, had enough. The intimidating grey rat bore down on the young female, "Friend of the family?" He laughed unkindly, "Both of your parent's were insane. Bane was a murderous fiend. Terrormaw was an anti-social, murderous fiend. Who, dare I ask, would this 'friend' be?"

Flay held her ground stubbornly, her gold-flecked eyes glaring into Ripred's, "Gushgore." she told him bluntly, "Happy?"

"No." Ripred spat. "Traitor."

Flay laughed mockingly, "Are you going to kill me?" she asked, a smirk on her face. Gregor stared at her, how could she be so calm? And then he saw her eyes. Flay's eyes hadn't changed a bit from when she was a pup, they were still grey with flecks of gold, but looking close he could see what lay within. Under the broiling anger, the cynicism, he saw a sad pleading look. He saw pain.

"No, we aren't." Gregor said. Ripred turned and stared at the Overland boy,

"What do you mean we aren't?" Ripred protested, "I don't think you get it, boy. She sold us out."

Gregor shook his head and walked over to the white rat who was regarding him with wonder and confusion. "No, she didn't betray us. I bet she meant to this time, but she didn't betray us." He looked at Flay, "Did you?"

Slowly, Flay shook her head, she was still baffled. Why had he stood up for her? She had insulted him, and tormented him emotionally, if not physically. More importantly, how had he known she wasn't a traitor?

Ripred sighed, and slouched up against a wall; Luxa sank into a chair as did Gregor. Flay was the only one left standing. "What have you done?" Ripred asked wearily, all traces of his anger were gone.

Flay sighed, and immediately decided what to tell them, and what to keep secret. "The first time I left," she said, "I just wandered, I visited your old cave," her eyes were locked on Ripred, refusing to look anywhere else, "But…after that I couldn't stand being trapped in the Palace, I snuck out again. Freedom…" Her face lit up with remembered happiness, "it's indescribable when you've been stuck in one place all your life.

"I went a little further from Regalia. I left the main part of the Dead Lands…I was very close to the rat's lands when I met him. We talked a bit." Her eyes narrowed, "You lied." she told Ripred, "You never said a thing about Bane trapping you in a pit."

Ripred didn't miss a beat, "I didn't lie, I just withheld information you didn't need to know."

Flay smiled grimly, it could definitely be called an evil smile, "You didn't want to admit you were weak." She hissed accusingly, "You didn't want to admit who had made you weak."

Ripred shrugged, "If it makes you feel better that your insane father trapped me in a pit, then you just keep telling yourself that."

"The third time," Flay continued without giving any indication that she heard Ripred, "We talked more, he told me that there were still those who would follow me. Because of my father. Because I was white."

Ripred gave her a knowing look. "Rebellion is addicting isn't it?" he asked gently. There was an odd look on his face that neither Gregor nor Luxa could identify. But Flay understood.

"Addicting?" She gave a short laugh, "It is intoxicating." Ripred nodded regretfully,

"And this last time?" he asked prompted gently.

"He told me to gather information, and then leave. He said that I never had to come back…never…" Flay shook her head, her voice had dwindled to a whisper, "I wasn't going to come back…I want to leave. _I want to leave…_" she sobbed. A single tear fell from her eye to the carpeted floor.

Gregor wanted to reach out to her, comfort her in some way, but he held himself back unsure of how he would be received. Luxa sat staring at the white rat as if she had never seen her before, an odd thoughtful look on her face.

Ripred merely shook his head, "Go back to your room, Flay. Don't try to sneak out again." Flay stood up and took a deep breath. Suddenly, it was like a switch had been flipped. There was no trace of the sorrowful, scared rat who had been there moments before. Once again Flay was sullen, cold, and vicious. A sneer was fixed firmly in place, and she stalked out of the room. Before she left, she allowed herself a backwards glance. Gregor felt those eyes stabbing him, _I don't know why you did that,_ Flay told him silently, _but it changes nothing._

"That one," Ripred said, breaking the silence, "I worry about." Luxa nodded in mute agreement.

Gregor said nothing, did nothing. Only sat there staring at the spot Flay had been just a moment before. He didn't understand it. Flay practically screamed for someone to help her, pleaded and cried. Then, when someone tried to reach out to her, she pulled back into her shell. Drove them away with her snarls, glares, and harsh words.

The boy shook his head. None of this made sense. Out of all his trips in the Underland, this had to be one of the most confusing; there was no prophecy to vex them, but so many things were going on: Flay attempting to betray them, Luxa and Rae's argument, Erin and Howard's odd relationship, wars, fights, assaults; it was all too much to handle.

"Someone kill me." Gregor murmured, and Ripred laughed a bit,

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Flay: This chapter was Beta'd by Rojo.  
Rae: Gawd. This story SUCKS since I was taken out.  
Author: Actually it's better. So shutup.  
Shadowshiv: Hello...what happened to me? You promised I'd have a role in the story.  
Author: Next chapter.  
Flay: Why was I singing Chasing Cars?  
Author: It was an inside joke. Lulu, do you get it?  
Flay: Whatever. Read and reply people!  
Ripred: Cause she'll go cut herself if you don't...  
Flay: HEY!  
Ripred: EMO.  
Author: -sigh- there will be no more self mutilation. Well...maybe, but not much. 


	7. Anger and Shadows

"_There is going to be a war. You need me."

* * *

_

**Deepest Night. Chapter 6.**

**Anger and Shadows

* * *

**

Shadowshiv glared at her captors. Two brawny guards had hold of her, and one guard stood before her gazing at her condescendingly. A ring of soldiers prevented Shadow from attempting to escape. Not that she wanted to. Everything was going according to her plan. On the outside Shadowshiv was angry and vicious; on the inside she was silently celebrating.

"Get more torches," the guard in front of her demanded, "We do not want her to escape. Well, gnawer, you assumed to walk into our city unhindered?" This last bit was directed toward Shadowshiv.

"The door was open, I though I was being invited for tea." Shadow spat defiantly. A burst of light flared from a bundle of torches being lit. The smoke colored rat averted her gaze from the blinding brilliance of the flames. Apparently Ripred had let everyone know about her 'gift,' and the soldiers were flooding the place with light so she wouldn't be able to get away. "What are you going to do with me?"

The sneering guard in front of her didn't reply. Instead, he turned to the guards restraining Shadowshiv, "Before we imprison her, we must take her to Ripred. He will know the best way to hold her." Shadow smirked, perfect. She almost purred in satisfaction. Truth be told they needn't worry about holding her; she was exactly where she wanted to be.

Half an hour earlier Shadowshiv had arrived in Regalia. The gnawer had snuck beneath the human city and entered the palace using the same door that Flay had used in her attempt to escape. It hadn't been long before the guards inside the palace caught her. What they didn't know was that if she had truly wanted to hide from them it would have been simple. None of the Regalians even stopped to consider the fact that she had given in without a fight; none of them had thought it suspicious that she tried to enter the Palace. She was a rat, and for them, that was a good enough reason.

-----

"Ripred, it is obvious you have been wanting to voice your opinions," Luxa sounded resigned when she said this, "Give us your advice."

Gregor, Luxa, Ripred and Erin had gathered in a meeting room after Flay's revelation. The group had been arguing for about half an hour about what to do with the white rat. Erin maintained that Flay had learned her lesson, and should be allowed to get out every once in a while to stop her from feeling trapped. Luxa was worried for her people's safety, and Gregor had no idea what to do.

Ripred wore a self-satisfied smile, "Thank you ever so much, my queen, for allowing me the privilege of speech," he replied sarcastically. Luxa rolled her eyes and waited for the grey rat to continue. "Normally I'd suggest we throw her out in the Dead Lands and let her fend for herself. Given the circumstances that might not be the best idea."

Erin sneered, "Because she'll come back with an army? Or because I'd kill you?" The girl was glaring at Ripred with all her might. Normally the two were on good terms, and could possibly be called friends; but when Flay was involved they met each other with hostility.

"Ignoring that," Ripred continued, "There isn't much we can do, short of killing her or locking her up. I know it sounds extreme, but we can't risk her sneaking around every time we turn our backs."

"I still think-" Erin was standing up at this point, and her voice was raised.

"Shut up." Gregor hissed warningly. Surprisingly enough Ripred and Erin did go silent. And then the other three heard what had caused Gregor to place his hand on the hilt of his sword. Outside of the meeting room muffled swears, grunts, and a scuffling sound could be heard. "Act normal."

Erin sat back in her chair, and focused on calming herself down. Luxa smoothed her face of the emotions it had shown prior. The four had agreed not to tell anyone about Flay's betrayal, and everything had proceeded somewhat normally.

A sharp rap on the door frame announced that someone wanted to come in. "Enter." Luxa commanded, and a muscular guard came in. He bowed deferentially to Luxa, Gregor, and then Ripred. Erin raised an eyebrow in slight amusement.

"My Queen," the guard said coming out of his bow, "an urgent matter has come to our attention."

"Continue, Dynn," Luxa urged. Ripred resisted the impulse to roll his eyes; the Regalians always had urgent matters that randomly came to light. The guard, Dynn, didn't say anything, he merely gestured to the curtained door.

The curtain was drawn aside and three servants bearing bright torches entered the already well lit room. Then two brawny guards entered the room, each one held a shoulder and foreleg of a rat. And not just any rat. This female was a deep shadowy color; she had an ethereal look about her, like she would disappear if she wasn't being held. When she moved her fur rippled like water and she seemed to fade in and out of sight, depending on where the light hit her. Ripred glared at the female rat, and Erin let out an angry hiss like a snake. Gregor stared at the rat; she had a kind of smug look on her proud haughty face. He knew he had seen her before, but his brain struggled to remember where.

"_You know, not that this isn't touching…" Came the silky sneering voice of the smoke colored rat, "But I should be going." Gregor's head snapped around, Shadowshiv was lounging around the mouth of the tunnel regarding the scene with a look of detached revulsion._

_Flay's eyes peered at the grey rat with a look full of hate. The gnawer sneered at her, "Your mother got what she asked for you know. I will avenge my mate's death." _

_Flay's grey eyes burned into the scoffing rat, "I will kill you." she promised in a deadly quiet voice. Then she buried her face into Erin's chest once more, fresh tears coursing down her face._

_Gregor watched as Shadowshiv cackled spitefully and shot down the tunnel. He stood and drew his sword ready to plunge after Shadowshiv. Ripred stopped him, his tail came up in front of the warrior._

The memory hit Gregor as soon as her cold eyes met his. Shadowshiv, a Shadowmelder as Ripred termed her. No wonder they had filled the room with torches, they had to make sure she wouldn't escape.

"Well, well, well," Ripred sneered, "Look what the guards dragged in. I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to try and sneak into Regalia, Shadow."

Shadowshiv laughed mockingly, "Who said I was sneaking?" The five stared at each other for a moment before Ripred turned to the guards,

"Get out." he commanded roughly. Luxa looked as though she was about to protest, but Ripred ignored her, "You heard me, get out. Now. Leave the torches here, though." Slowly the guards and servants left the room, placing the torches in rings along the wall.

"You don't need so much light you know," Shadowshiv remarked as she stretched, reveling in her freedom, "I'm not going to go anywhere. And the light hurts my eyes." she added shielding her face with a paw.

Ignoring her statements Ripred demanded, "Why are you here?"

Shadow smirked, "I was wondering when you'd ask that," the charcoal grey rat reclined onto her haunches, "The cutters, spinners, and darters have formed an allegiance. There is going to be a war. You need me." she stated matter-of-factly.

Before anyone could reply to this statement the curtain was drawn aside once more. Automatically everyone turned to regard the person who next came in. "What are you doing here, Flay?" Erin asked wearily.

The white rat gave a kind of shrug and muttered, "I was locked out of the kitchens." before sitting on a chair next to her friend. Gregor tensed compulsively, waiting to see how Flay would react to the rat responsible for her mother's death.

"Greetings, Bane." Shadowshiv drawled in her silky voice. Her dark sparkling eyes were locked onto the young white rat.

Flay immediately turned to glare at whoever had dared say that. "I am not the Bane, don't you ever say that!" She snarled, her grey eyes flaring with anger, "What the hell is she doing here?" the white rat rounded on Ripred.

"Damned if I know." Ripred replied with a scowl.

Shadowshiv laughed again, "She's vicious," the Shadowmelder remarked, "You should keep her chained up before she hurts someone."

Shadowshiv was right, Gregor reflected ruefully. Flay was vicious, she had proven that to him on more than one occasion. Gregor recalled Erin's words from earlier…the claw marks on the teenage girl's arms…Unable to contain himself he blurted, "She has hurt people."

Flay automatically turned toward him, "Oh? And you would know this how?" she accused in a low hiss. Everyone else was staring at him as well.

Gregor muttered, "Erin…the scars on her arms." He knew he shouldn't have said anything and he mentally kicked himself. Erin regarded him with something akin to shock,

"The scars on my arms?" she said. The girl pulled her sleeves up to reveal the long slashes, "You think Flay did that?" Gregor couldn't say anything; up close the marks were even worse, long and jagged they were almost as bad as the ones on his chest.

"I did that." Ripred said with a disdainful laugh, "In training. She let her guard down, and I cut her a little worse than I thought I would." Gregor flushed guiltily, and Flay was fuming angrily,

"You thought I'd do that to her?" she spat furiously, "I would never hurt Erin, she's my only friend. I wouldn't do that to _anybody._"

"Anybody?" Gregor asked quizzically,

"I'd make an exception for you." came the petulant reply. Flay's voice indicated the conversation was over.

However, Ripred's curiosity had been piqued, "What exactly do you mean, Flay? Is there a peace advocate under all that white malice?"

"No." Flay retorted sullenly. She shifted uncomfortably and stared at the ground.

"So…" Ripred pressed her; he was smiling, "Would you care to tell us why you wouldn't slash someone open?"

Flay glared at him, not just an angry glare, one of those 'I will hate you until the end of time' glares. "I don't like blood, ok!" she snapped, "There. Now you know." She crossed her forelegs and scowled, with that position and expression she looked remarkably like Erin.

For a few moments everyone just stared at her, and then the silence was broken by the sound of laughter. Ripred and Shadowshiv were both practically incapacitated in their mirth. Gregor shook his head and glanced at Luxa as if to say, 'They'd laugh at anything.' He was shocked to see that the queen was struggling to hold in laughter as well. Flay looked like she wanted to disappear.

"I guess I'll be going now," the young rat said as she stood up. "I've been humiliated enough today."

"Nonsense." Ripred told her, he had apparently regained his composure, "We've only just begun."

"Lovely." Was the sullen reply.

"Why are you here, Flay?" Luxa asked in an attempt at steering the conversation away from Flay's ironic admission.

Flay gave a small shrug and turned to Luxa, "I'm hungry, and they locked me out of the kitchens. I was wondering if you'd tell them to let me in."

Ripred stared at the white rat in mock wonder, "Do you ever stop eating?"

"When I'm sleeping." Flay shot back sarcastically.

"What do you do with it all?" Ripred asked, "You're tiny." The grey rat's eyes raked over Flay's slender form. She was very small for her age, and there hadn't been any change in her size for at least a month.

Shadowshiv tilted her head to the side as she examined the white rat. A small knowing smile played upon her lips, and her eyes glinted with cunning. "You eat often, and do not grow?" she asked Flay curiously. The younger rat didn't answer, but Shadow continued, "Is anything else odd?" The shadowy rat leaned forward eagerly waiting for the answer.

Flay frowned, uncomfortable with the amount of interest Shadowshiv was showing. Gregor didn't blame her, if anyone looked at him that way he would probably run. As far away as possible. "Why should I tell you?" Flay asked, her voice was heavy with distrust.

"Because I think I can help." Shadowshiv hissed. The two rats stared at each other for a few moments, the tension in the room skyrocketed. Neither gave the other any ground.

"And why would you want to help me?" Flay pressed.

"You would be surprised." The other rat replied her dark eyes flashed.

The white rat eyed Shadowshiv for a moment, and then, without any reason apparent to the others in the room, nodded her head. Ripred had seated himself next to Erin during the exchange, "This is dramatic." he stage whispered to the teenage girl.

Erin giggled softly, "Pass the popcorn." she replied in the same tone.

Flay sent a glare toward the two whisperers who quieted. The white rat let out a sigh and turned back toward the other female. "If you must know, I have violent mood swings, and…" Flay's face took on a thoughtful expression like she was trying to find the right words to articulate her thoughts. "There is no noticeable pattern, but sometimes…I-I don't know. I'll go into my room and lay down, and I won't get up for days, occasionaly as many as five."

Shadowshiv nodded and leaned further forward, her glittering eyes probed Flay. "How do you feel when this happens?" Her statement reminded Gregor of the cheesy therapists who continually asked how something made you feel. He let out a short sound of amusement before he could catch himself. Surprisingly, however, neither of the rats made any indication they had heard him.

The white rat took a deep breath and replied, "Not good normally. It feels like I'm drowning. Like I can't breathe." Her eyes got dark as she said this, like she was recalling the times it had happened, "When I wake up I'm not sure where I am."

Flay looked up at Shadowshiv, her face looked unusually hopeful as if she thought Shadow could tell her how to fix it. Oddly enough, the smoke colored rat smiled. It wasn't a proud or scornful smile like her previous ones. Her smile actually reached her eyes in a show of genuine satisfaction. "Tell me, has anything else strange happened when you were frightened or stressed?"

Flay looked a bit confused but replied slowly, as if weighing every word, "When I snuck out of the palace the first time…Luxa and Ripred almost caught me. They looked right at me and walked off."

The grey rat snarled, "So _that_ was what I smelled! I knew something wasn't right!" Ripred's scarred face contorted into a scowl, "How did you hide from me?" Flay shrugged, she looked sincerely baffled.

Shadowshiv's smile widened, "I thought so. You have that look about you." The smoke colored female took another step closer to Flay. "Welcome to the fold." She said cryptically. Flay gave her a questioning look. "The same things happened to me when I was young. Fortunately my mother knew the symptoms and got me a teacher."

A suspicious look crossed Flay's face, "Meaning?" she pressed.

"My dear," Shadow began. This was the first time Gregor had heard the dark violent rat use any term that could be considered friendly and it sounded odd to hear her say that. Everyone in the room was unconsciously holding their breath, except for Ripred of course who only looked mildly interested. "To put it bluntly, you have the gift. You're a Shadowmelder."

A collective gasp came from Luxa, Erin and Gregor. Ripred sneered openly, and Flay looked unconcerned.

"How can she be?" Erin asked.

"How can you be certain?" Luxa questioned.

"Who cares?" Flay replied, though none of them had been talking to her.

Ripred laughed shortly, "Not you apparently. You have just been deemed to have a rare and exotic ability. One that will make us even more untrusting of you and you really don't care." It was a statement and not a question. Ripred seemed thoroughly amused by her reaction.

Flay raised an eyebrow and looked around the circle of people, three humans, and two rats. "Whatever." she replied with a shrug.

* * *

Shadowshiv: YES! I'm in the book again!  
Erin: This chapter had lots of secrets...  
Me: I know! Flay is a Shadowmelder. Erin was hurt by Ripred (abusive relationship right there). And Flay's hemaphobic. (fear of blood)  
Flay: I'm going to kill you for that.  
Me: What? I wrote you like that, you have a thing with blood.  
Flay: I'm a rat! I'm the flippin Bane and I don't like blood?  
Shadowshiv: -snickers- yes that is ironic. Especially after chapter 2. I mean...seriously...  
Me: She doesn't like OTHER peoples' blood. Her own is fine.  
Flay: you suck. -pounces-  
Me: EEP -runs away-  
Erin: -sigh- This chapter was Unedited so it could be out tonight. Merry Christmas one and all. 


	8. Black May Become White

**Part Two: The Shadows  
----------------**

* * *

_Flay just stared at herself and wished she had a mirror. It would be incredible to see herself in some other color than white.

* * *

_**Deepest Night. Chapter 7.**

**Black May Become White

* * *

**

"I don't like you." Flay told the charcoal colored rat standing in front of her. Shadowshiv smiled,

"I'm not particularly fond of you either, you know," she replied coolly. The two were standing in an empty room that resembled a dungeon. Luxa had given them this room to train in. Flay wasn't overly pleased with the idea of learning shadowmelding from the rat who was responsible for her mother's death.

"And just because you're teaching me," Flay continued stubbornly, "won't change any of my feelings toward you." This having been said the white rat slouched against the wall, eying the other female suspiciously.

Shadowshiv met Flay's cold grey eyes, "Your posture is almost as bad as Ripred's," she observed caustically. Flay merely shrugged. Shadow sighed as she looked Flay up and down. It had been so easy to hate the white pup before; she was the daughter of the Bane, and could easily start another war. Now, however, things were different. If Flay truly was a shadowmelder that meant the two shared a special connection. This was true for all of the outsiders, the oddities. Ragers, melders, seers: they all stuck together, because that was the only way they could survive. "I've never met another shadowmelder before."

"How'd you learn then?" Flay asked, a slight hint of curiosity was hidden under her monotone voice.

"My mother recognized the signs early on," The rat responded, "an old rat that lived down the river from us knew of the shadowmelders and past her knowledge onto me. I had to teach myself, but it was not too difficult."

"So do you mind telling me exactly what's going on?" This was the subject she was really curious about, finding out why her body did such odd things.

Shadowshiv laughed a warm laugh that contrasted with her dark disdainful voice. "How old are you? Nine months?" Flay nodded, and Shadow laughed again. "Well Flay, you're lucky you're not in the gnawer's lands. This point of your life would be hell. Some of your symptoms are fueled by your adolescence. Your mood swings being the main one. You've finished growing, however, and normally you wouldn't eat so much."

"I know all this." She spat impatiently. Shadow glared at her and Flay sank into an ill-tempered silence.

"Fine. Um…" Shadowshiv grasped at a way to explain what she had to say, "Think of a fire. It must be fueled or it will die. But if you put too much fuel in it, and do not use the fire, it will burn uncontrolled and consume you. This is what happens when you go into those 'dark moods.' This is why you are constantly hungry. You must fuel your fire, and you must use it, lest it overwhelm you."

Flay nodded. The explanation made sense to her, but she still didn't actually believe that she was a shadowmelder. How could you disappear into the shadows with white fur? "Show me something." Flay commanded abruptly. She would attempt to meld and then when she failed prove that she wasn't actually a shadowmelder. Simple.

A smile twisted onto Shadowshiv's face, almost like she had been expecting the request for a demonstration. Without pause she made a small gesture with her right paw, half closed her eyes, and turned ever so slightly. Immediately she seemed to break apart into wisps of smoke, and then there was no trace. Shadowshiv. Now you see her. Now you don't. A few seconds later, the smoke colored rat emerged from the darkness that covered half of the room. "Now you try." Shadow said half joking. She received only a raised eyebrow in response.

"It's not that hard," she told her trainee, "take a deep breath and close your eyes."

Flay gave her a disbelieving look, "Forgive me if I'm not exactly comfortable with my eyes closed in a dark room with you." The white rat flicked her tail pointedly as if underlining her words.

Shadowshiv laughed again, "You really don't know how uncommon this is do you? Shadowmelders are incredibly rare, and there's no way I would do anything to hurt you."

"You were pretty keen to hurt me before," Flay retorted angrily.

"It's different. Now," Shadowshiv snarled, "you're going to do what I say." Flay rolled her eyes and turned away. "Don't make me get Ripred in here." The older female threatened. Flay grimaced as she imagined the grouchy scarred rat coming in to chastise her. With a heavy sigh, Flay closed her eyes.

"Excellent," Shadow told her with a smile, "There are two ways to learn how to shadowmeld. I'm going to teach you the easiest. I want you to picture the shadows in the corner behind you. Darkness is fluid, like water, so imagine the shadows flowing from the corner toward your body and up through your fur."

Flay did as she was told. As she did so she felt an odd sort of tickling feeling run through her. She shivered trying to get rid of the sensation, but all it did was run further up her back toward her head.

"Well, that's one way to do it." Shadowshiv mused as she stared at her young student. Flay opened her eyes nervously and turned to the other rat. "Look at yourself," Shadow told her with a kind of amused smirk. Flay warily looked down to her white fur, and let out a squeak of surprise.

"What the hell?!" She cried and turned to Shadowshiv as if suspecting some kind of trick. Her fur, all over was an inky black color, reminiscent of her mother's coloring. Flay ran one black paw through her fur as if trying to see if it was real or not.

"I'm not going to lie," Shadowshiv said as she gazed at the adolescent, "I didn't expect that at all. But at least now you can't deny it." This having been said she laughed for a third time. Flay just stared at herself and wished she had a mirror. it would be incredible to see herself in some other color than white. The young melder was about to ask how she was supposed to turn herself back when someone rapped on the door.

Shadow and Flay both looked up at the servant that entered the room. "Miss," the man greeted bowing to Shadowshiv, who smirked appreciating the title, "I hope I am not interrupting anything, but Ripred desires your presence in the Council Room." The servant's gaze drifted to Flay and then snapped back to Shadowshiv. Flay could barely contain her shock, it took her a few moments to realize that he didn't recognize her.

"Alright, I'll be there," Shadowshiv dismissed the servant with a flick of her tail, "I'll bet you liked that."

The last comment was directed to Flay, who nodded fervently. Without another word, Shadowshiv began walking out the room toward the Council Room. Flay followed her but her mind stayed in that room playing over and over the lack of reaction from the servant.

-----

The two arrived earlier than expected, and the Council was not in the room yet. Shadowshiv swept into the room with an air of arrogant pride that would have made Luxa jealous. Not everyone had been informed of her arrival and subsequent conversion; Howard gasped, and Nike looked furious. Shadow met their angry looks with cool disdain.

Flay, on the other hand, entered the room vaguely unnoticed, merely a black rat who appeared to have followed Shadowshiv to the Council Room. "Shadow, who is this?" Ripred was the first one to notice her and as soon as these words left his lips both Shadowshiv and Flay began to laugh. Flay's low velvety laugh was a dead giveaway and immediately Ripred looked closer at her, "How the hell did you turn black?" he demanded angrily.

"The question," Flay replied, "is how do I change back to normal." For this she looked to Shadowshiv.

"Figure it out yourself," Shadow replied petulantly. A small smile crossed her face as her apprentice scowled at her. She wasn't trying to be difficult, she was just curious to see if Flay could do it without her help.

For a few minutes the young rat glared at the other female before closing her eyes. It took her a little while, but soon the black coloring fled from her fur and retreated into the dark corners of the room. The transformation was something akin to seeing someone doused with water. Everyone's eyes unconsciously widened, except for Shadowshiv who was regarding Flay with a small measure of pride. Ripred, of course, hid any emotion that he might have felt, and it was doubtful he was surprised in any way. He had seen so many things in his life, this was nothing.

"That was unbelievable," Erin said quietly. Gregor and Luxa nodded mutely in agreement, but Ripred continued to look unimpressed by Flay's ability.

"Yes, lovely. You are even more of a freak than before. Let's get some cake and celebrate," he mocked in a fake happy voice. Flay glared at the scarred grey rat. Gregor watched the two in their contest of wills with an expression of impatience on his face. Flay fought with Ripred more than he did! It was funny the first few times, but the two were beginning to get on his nerves. Before he had time to say anything, and, trust me, he planned to, another rat entered the council room.

"Did I miss something?" Preypounce asked. The scene she had walked into was very confusing. Luxa, Gregor, and Howard all looked slightly annoyed. Erin looked defensive and still a little awe-struck, and Flay and Ripred were glaring daggers at each other. It also didn't help that the grey female hadn't been informed of Shadowshiv's presence in Regalia.

"Yes," Flay told her, "You've missed a lot."

-----

A mere half an hour later, the Council was gathered in the large room. Everyone settled down into their seats and a middle aged woman with a sharp face stood up to address those assembled. The woman was Naomi, the head of the Council, and she was replacing Vikus.

"Luxa?" Gregor whispered quietly, "Where's Vikus?" His question had been an innocent one and he was shocked to see tears rolling down her pale face. "Luxa?" he murmured and put his hand on her shoulder.

A delicate finger wiped her tears away and she turned toward the boy, "He fell to another stroke. He resides in the hospital now, and cannot move." The young queen spoke quietly and apprehensively as if talking about him would somehow make his condition worse. Gregor gave the sorrowful girl's shoulder a comforting squeeze and brushed her cheek with his lips as gently as he could. Luxa leaned into his warm body and readily took what comfort it could give her.

Naomi appeared prepared to give a speech, but Ripred butted in from where he was slouching on a bench. "Before we get started I'd like to remind everyone that every second we waste is another second until an entire species is annihilated. Now that I've got that off my chest, would you kindly tell us which obscure poem you've chosen today?"

The sharp-faced woman scowled openly at him, she put her hands behind her back in an effort to calm herself and replied tightly, "We have examined every inch of the prophecy room and found no prophecy to guide us." Several people around the room looked to each other in dismay, and Ripred let out a mocking exclamation of, 'Say it isn't so!' Naomi stood stoically through all of this and then raised her hand to silence the small crowd. "Which is why," she told them, "this matter should be taken into the utmost consideration."

Gregor sat next to Luxa and stared at the councilwoman in shock. Every time he had been down here there was a prophecy. Every single time. They had even discovered a prophecy in a children's song just before the War of Bane. No matter how incomprehensible, or short, or long, or hard to read, or foreboding, there was always some kind of prophecy to guide them along the way or get them started. And she was just standing up there saying there was nothing? Gregor had been hard pressed for several months to decide whether Sandwich's prophecies were real or not, and even though he now counted himself as a skeptic the knowledge that there was nothing to guide him this time was a little disturbing.

Naomi was talking, but Gregor didn't hear her, he was a little preoccupied with Luxa. The young queen looked like a broken doll. Her eyes were glassy, like she was somewhere else at the moment. She was thinking, her mind racing, and leaving her body behind. "Luxa," Gregor murmured and touched her hand.

Luxa jumped slightly and turned to Gregor with her luminous violet eyes wide, "Oh," she moaned quietly, "Oh, this does not bode well." Gregor held her close, her face buried in his shoulder. He had pretty much gotten over his dislike of public displays of affection, and it didn't even bother him that Howard was a few short feet away. Howard wasn't even watching them, he, like everyone else in the room, was listening to Naomi's closing statements.

"--never have the sleepers come to _our_ aid. In past times, they have even attacked _us_, being completely _unprovoked._ Who is to say that if we do abet them they shall not turn 'round and attack us while we are weak from fighting _their_ battles for them." Naomi finished triumphantly. The woman was in her element: politics was the air she breathed and the earth she walked upon. Her cadence was perfect, and she emphasized just the right words to make her point. The councilor crossed her arms and awaited Ripred's rebuttal. It came quickly.

"Lovely speech. The only real meaning of course was in the last couple sentences, so I'll address that, I suppose," Ripred drawled conversationally. The scarred grey gnawer didn't bother trying to speak like Naomi, his low smooth voice was convincing enough…when it wasn't doused in sarcasm. "The gnawers have been allies with the sleepers since before the humans were here. Last time I checked, the fact that the humans and gnawers are literally bonded, that means the sleepers are _your _allies as well."

Naomi made an impatient gesture, slicing the air before her with her hand as if she could sweep Ripred's arguments away, "We do not know how to get to the Crystal Grotto. No human has seen a sleeper for decades." Gregor couldn't resist a small smile, he knew what the councilor was doing. She was trying to find a battle she could win, and against Ripred that was impossible. Gregor knew, very well, what fighting with Ripred was like. You never won. Ever.

"See, this is where having a gnawer bonded to your queen comes in handy," as Ripred said this Naomi blanched openly. It was known that the council did not approve of the bond, no matter how many political benefits it had. "The gnawers have kept ties with the sleepers, and I know exactly where the Grotto is."

"The sleepers have no love for humans, why would they allow-"

"Allow you to get anywhere near the Grotto?" Ripred finished for her. The argument was progressing, the council woman was frustrated, and Ripred was smug. "Well, you would have a gnawer with you of course."

"And who would that-" Naomi had meant for her retort to come out scathingly, but she failed miserably and is just ended up being cut off by Ripred once more.

"Me of course." Ripred leaned forward and grinned at her. His eyebrow raised ever so slightly as he waited for her reply.

Naomi didn't give in gracefully, and she would probably through a violent temper tantrum as soon as she was out of view, but she did give in. Just like everyone knew she would. "Fine. A group shall go tomorrow to inform the sleepers."

Ripred smirked victoriously and then as if a sudden thought had struck him. "Who's coming?" Erin and Flay, sitting on either side of the grey rat turned to him and smiled. "You two aren't coming!" The two just continued to smile. They were coming.

* * *

Aria: Finally I got this out!!!  
Flay: I'll say something in a minute just let me get this dust off me...  
Erin: Incase you guys forgot, she doesn't own anything except her OC's, the Sleepers, the Darters, and the Grotto, oh and the plot line.  
Shadowshiv: Which means if she sees a fic about the Bane's insane daughter she'll snap your legs off and shove them through your ears until they touch.  
Flay: Hey, I'm not crazy!  
Aria: Yes you are, I wrote you that way.  
Flay: -growls-  
Aria: O.O -runs away-  
Ripred: -to Aria- you cannot encompass my awesomeness in this pitiful story...  
Aria: -still running- RIPRED IS GOD!!!!  
Ripred: -eats an offering of shrimp in cream sauce- Damn right.  
Aria: This chapter beta'd by Rojo, who rox my sox. -wink-  
Shadowshiv: Sox? What the hell?  
Ripred: Aria has also recently decided to take some of the censorship out of the story.  
Gregor and Luxa: HURRAY! We can makeout!  
Flay: Damn it feels good to be able to swear again...-pounces on Aria-  
Aria: EEP. I'm so dead...more soon! Luff you all!

p.s. If anyone can tell me what the chapter name is from I'll give you a spoiler of your choice. Hint: it's in Coming Dark

&&..dead chick walking..


	9. It's Dead

So, lookie here. 'Nother chapter from THE MOST AWESOME: Dead Chick Walking. -cough- sorry for the ego. I've been talking to Ripred and that's kind of a side effect. Hope you like this chappie!

_

* * *

_

_"You're right," Ripred responded, "but if that is true, then you have been following a liar and a traitor all this time."_

* * *

****

Deepest Night. Chapter 8.

**It's Dead…**

* * *

In the end, Ripred couldn't prevent the stubborn females from accompanying them on the trip. It took a long time, a tear or two, and a couple screaming matches, but when the dust cleared, the group going on the quest was a bit larger than previously planned.

Luxa came as the leader of the group. She was the queen of Regalia and would represent her people in the discussions with the sleepers. Aurora, her bond, was the flier she rode upon.

There had never been any question about Ripred going. He was the Peacemaker, and also represented the gnawers. Since he'd had dealings with the sleepers before, he was a valuable asset. It was hoped that his sharp tongue wouldn't hurt relations with the sleepers.

Gregor had been given multiple chances to turn back, but he insisted on accompanying Luxa and the rest to the Crystal Grotto. Though Ripred would never admit it, he was grateful that another fighter he could trust was coming on the trip. Had Gregor known his main use would probably be babysitting Flay, there would have been a good chance he wouldn't have come. Spica made himself available to be the Warrior's mount, and Gregor was glad he didn't have to ride and fight with a stranger.

Erin had produced the stunning argument that there was no way they would get anything done without her. Ripred had countered saying they had done just fine through five quests without her help. The teenage girl merely rolled her eyes and replied, "But it would be so boring if I wasn't there." No one could convince her otherwise, so she came along as well. Ariadne, the somber silver and black bat, served as her flier.

The team of Howard and Nike added another pair of fighters to the list, and an accomplished doctor to boot. Gregor also suspected that Howard was coming to avoid the stressful training to be Lord of the Fount.

The hardest fight had been on Flay's part. In the beginning she was coldly logical, pointing out the reasons she should be allowed to come. As her argument with Ripred continued however, she delivered an ultimatum: either she came, or she ran away. Ripred and Luxa talked about it for a moment and then came to the agreement that she could come, as long as she was kept on a short leash.

Holding the leash was Shadowshiv, something Gregor couldn't see the logic in. Everyone but him seemed certain that Shadow would actually be loyal. The explanation given to the Council was that Shadowshiv had good relations with the sleepers and would be serving the position of diplomat. The real reason for her involvement was to continue Flay's training.

"Meet you at Queenshead," Ripred told Luxa as she fastened her pack to Aurora. The gnawers had flat out refused to ride upon fliers, because none of them were comfortable in the air. Luxa grunted, and clicked the metal clasp to secure the pack filled with food for the journey. This having been done, the young queen vaulted onto Aurora's back. Erin, Howard and Gregor mounted as well; the fliers took to the air with the gnawers on the ground watching them.

"So," Ripred sneered at Flay, "think you can keep up with real gnawers?" Flay's answer was a scowl. Shadowshiv looked on impatiently,

"If you two don't put aside your feud for a couple seconds, we're going to be late, and that girl will never let us live it down."

Ripred scowled, but Shadowshiv was right. The three gnawers began at a walking pace, and he snapped at her, "Why don't you just blend or whatever you call it." A smirk twisted across the female's face and she shimmered visibly. Then she took a running leap and disappeared like smoke being torn apart by the currents.

From the shadows came her lilting voice, "The word is meld, Ripred, dear." The bad-tempered grey rat snarled at her for the appellation. "Now, why don't you go a little faster? I'm way ahead of you, you know." Flay sprang forth, her youthful vigor urging her to run. Ripred urged his muscles into action as well, though he would never admit it, running wasn't his favorite pastime and eventually he would get tired. He wasn't a pup anymore. That was for sure. The older gnawer watched as Flay gamboled about, happy to be out of Regalia, and bursting with adolescent energy. Ripred was almost jealous…almost.

xxxxx

Queenshead was reached in little over an hour; the fliers had flown straight from Regalia to the meeting place, but the gnawers had had to run through many tunnels so as not to startle the Regalians.

When the fliers got there, the three rats were already waiting for them. At Luxa's request, Aurora swooped down and landed right in front of Ripred. Flay was examining the surroundings, Shadowshiv was reclining lazily, and Ripred looked impatient as he grimaced at the approaching group.

"Took you long enough," he snapped irritably at Luxa.

"We came as fast as we were able," she retorted as she dismounted. With a gesture she commanded all of the questers to gather around. "Well, Ripred, you know where we are going. I do not."

"Exactly," Ripred replied with a smirk, "which means perhaps you want to be a little more polite to me." Luxa scowled at him, and he gave a little shrug as if he was excused from his previous rudeness. "Now then, the Grotto is on the edge of the Uncharted Lands, south of the diggers' lands. So we need to head east."

"Hang on," Gregor interjected, "everyone seems to know what's going on except me."

"And me!" Erin added. The two stood next to each other, and looked to Ripred for the answer. He sighed and said,

"Find a comfortable spot then. This won't be a short story." This having been said the grouchy scarred rat slouched against a well-placed boulder. The bats gathered together, and the humans sat cross-legged on the ground.

"The sleepers are creatures very similar to gnawers in appearance. Their culture and just about everything else is completely different, however. Many years before the humans interfered, the diggers, gnawers, and sleepers had a joint pact. We were all fearsome fighters, and dominated the cold bloods easily, even the cutters and spinners."

"Now, when the humans poisoned the diggers, the sleepers and gnawers were immersed in a battle with the spinners. We were unable to come to their aid which ended in the diggers being forced from their homes and breaking off alliances with us. The sleepers and gnawers were not much concerned."

"Recently, the sleepers have drifted out of contact with their allies. They went through great losses in their war with the darters half a century ago and they merely want to be left alone in their little Crystal Grotto. I doubt they even know about the War of Bane." Ripred finished abruptly. Erin nodded to show she understood, but Gregor blurted out,

"How could they not know? I mean it was a huge war! Even the diggers came!" Then, realizing he had spoken aloud, he flushed slightly but waited for Ripred to answer his question.

Ripred gave an amused smirk, "It will be clear once you meet a sleeper."

"Have you even seen a sleeper, Ripred?" Luxa asked accusingly.

"Yes, actually," Ripred replied, "I've met three. Now if you are all done asking stupid questions, we should probably continue toward the Grotto." Gregor and Luxa shared an exasperated look; neither had their questions answered to their satisfaction. Ripred, however, wasn't saying another word, so they mounted the fliers. The gnawers ran in front, with Ripred leading, and the group traveled toward the Crystal Grotto.

xxxxx

There was a rather uneasy vibe during dinner when they stopped once more. Erin had cooked without complaint, and the group was gathered around the fire, eating quietly. Gregor's eyes flickered between everyone in an attempt to figure out who was the cause of the uncomfortable feeling.

It seemed to be a combination of a couple of people. Erin was morosely picking at her food, with a thoughtful scowl firmly on her face. Flay kept shifting uncomfortably under Ripred's stern gaze. The main source of the bad feeling was surprisingly Luxa. The young queen completely refused all offers of food and sat with her knees pulled up to her chest; she was staring into the fire.

"You ok?" Gregor asked her worriedly. She shrugged, her eyes not moving from the fixed point.

"She is worried," Aurora supplied quietly, "if we do not gain the sleepers as allies we may lose the upcoming war." Gregor nodded thankfully, and silently slapped himself. Of course she wasn't ok. This was her home, and it was on the verge of destruction…again. He wondered if you ever got used to things like that. He sure hadn't. Not, yet at least.

"There is also the likelihood that the sleepers will slay us before we reach them," Howard voiced in an almost accusing tone. His eyes briefly flickered toward Ripred, who caught the glance and snarled.

"What?" Gregor replied shocked, "Why?"

"Because they are the gnawer's allies," Howard supplied, "because they are cruel, because they can." The group was getting restless and irritated. Luxa didn't move from her spot, but Aurora seemed to notice something the others did not, and she wrapped her wing around her bond.

Ripred rose to respond to Howard's accusations, "You obviously know nothing of sleepers-" But the doctor cut him off. Shocked that someone had actually interrupted him, Ripred unintentionally allowed him to finish.

"I know they had a reputation as vicious fighters! I know they were the allies of gnawers when they wished our extinction!"

A sneer crossed his scarred face as Ripred replied insinuatingly, "And of course the fact that the killers assassinated their rulers had nothing to do with their enmity?" Howard didn't respond, but just glared at the grey rat who smiled triumphantly. "Can't say anything to that, can you? Know the facts before you argue."

At this point Nike, who had remained quiet until now, was driven to speak up for her bond, "How do we know for certain this is fact? You may have conjured this argument merely to support your own cause."

"You're right," Ripred responded, "but if that is true, then you have been following a liar and a traitor all this time." Silence settled among the group, broken only by the agitated fluttering of the flier's wings. The sensitive bats could feel the discontent in the air much like the gnawers could smell the same emotion hanging over the party like a disease cloud. Gregor shook his head. If this was how the quest was starting, they would never finish. They'd just keep picking away at each other until they were all fed up.

"I propose a story, m'dears," Shadowshiv voiced, "Perhaps that will calm us." The antagonists settled hesitantly. The oddly affectionate term of address Shadow used seemed familiar to Gregor, and then he realized he had heard Ripred use it before. He wondered silently if it was something most rats did or if it was merely a shared idiosyncrasy.

"Do tell," Howard invited skeptically.

"Yes," Luxa spoke for the first time, her violet eyes still locked on the flickering fire, "tell us a story."

Flay smiled just a little bit. It made her look much younger, almost childish, "I like stories, what's it about?" Shadowshiv smiled indulgently at her youthful charge.

"Me," she informed the gathered questers. There came a muttered, 'egotist,' from the direction of Ripred. The charcoal colored gnawer rolled her eyes. "Let's see…to start off, traditionally, shadowmelders have two names. The one they are born with and the one they have after their training is completed."

"What was your name?" Erin pushed curiously.

Everyone was slowly gathering around, much like they had done when Ripred was telling the story. "Bloodspill was the name I received after my birth." There were a few comments about the appropriateness of the name. "When I was three months old, I began to display the symptoms of a melder. A very old gnawer lived a couple caves down from us, and my mother took me to receive training from her. She was the sister of a shadowmelder. He is now dead, but she was able to teach me enough to get by. It was a good thing too, or I would probably be dead by now."

At a couple of confused looks she explained, "After a while the dark moods tend to last for a very long time. Eventually, an untrained shadowmelder would die, consumed by the powers they couldn't control."

"What happened afterwards?" To everyone's general amazement it was Ariadne who spoke. The silent, morose bat hardly ever spoke aloud, and sometimes she faded into the background so completely that the group forgot she was there.

Shadow didn't seem surprised however, probably because she didn't know Ariadne well enough, "I got into politics, much to the dismay of Ripred." The older gnawer scowled at her, and she retaliated with a brilliant smile. "I actually wanted to help people, believe it or not. Then the brutal side kicked in and I suppose I became a bit selfish, but I always wanted what would benefit the gnawers. Furyfire courted me because of these traits, and I accepted his offer because I knew we would make a good team."

"There was no flitter tale love story, in fact the decision had very little to do with love at all. I didn't love him, not a bit, and when he died I mourned the loss of a partner, not a mate. After the…incident in which Furyfire died, I lurked around the Dead Lands for a little while. Then I came to Regalia and allowed myself to get caught."

Spica jumped in this time, "Why would you do such a thing?" he asked curiously.

She smirked and turned to him. "Truly?" Shadowshiv said, "I was bored, I cannot stand knowing there is action going on without being in the thick of it."

"Drama queen," Ripred spat deprecatingly. Shadowshiv snarled at him viciously. "See what I mean?"

This got a laugh from Erin. The group was very well settled now, most of them having forgotten the fight a half hour previous. They had all been wrapped in the story, and it was rather a shock when Luxa stood suddenly. "We must go," said she, and turned to Ripred for information about where exactly they had to go.

"We made good time," Ripred stated, "Soon we will near the outskirts of the sleepers' territory. It is imperative that we continue on foot so the sleepers are not alarmed. Give the fliers a rest from carrying around your lazy asses all the time." The humans scowled at that comment, but the fliers secretly felt relieved. They had been worked hard, and if they were going further today it would have to be without riders. "And don't worry; soon you will all be able to rest in the fine court of King Nysamar."

"Nysamar?" Gregor asked, stumbling over the odd inflections.

Ripred grimaced, "Yes, to my knowledge that is the current ruler. No idea about his mate. Wretched sleepers…their names are always impossible to pronounce."

xxxxx

An hour passed before there was any change in landscape. Gregor began to notice the ground getting rockier, and a couple times when he stepped, a sharp piece of quartz would jab him through his Underland style sandal. The Warrior steadfastly hoped this was a sign that they were getting close to the end of their journey. He couldn't remember the last time they had gone so far in so little time.

Then there was a cry from Shadowshiv, "I smell blood."

Aurora swooped down almost immediately after, "Our echolocation is picking up an unmoving body close ahead," she informed Luxa, "be on your guard." Without a sound, everyone drew their weapons. They continued on, their pace slowed.

Soon, the humans could see the mass of bloodied fur that the fliers had detected. It was an animal similar in size and anatomy to a gnawer. Its face was longer and more pointed. The fur that wasn't covered in blood was a grey color; it lightened around the face, paws and underbelly. The creature was like the Overland possum, except with a few differences. One, it was enormous. Two, its fangs and claws were the length of daggers. And three,

"It's dead," Gregor said mournfully as the group got close enough to tell. Then the dreadful sound of mocking, derisive laughter echoed through the air.

Flay was laughing.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flay: You just HAD to make me mean and heartless!  
Me:Well, -shrug- kinda  
Shadowshiv: Now now children, stop fighting.  
Flay: -sigh- This chapter was beta'd by Rojo  
Me: YAY!  
Erin: You so left me out of this chapter!  
Ripred: She did it so there could be more of me. I'm terribly sorry you didn't get the memo.  
Bane: PIZZA!  
Dead Sleeper: Wtf? You aren't even IN this fanfic!  
Bane: Yo Quiero Taco Bell!!  
Ripred: -sigh- Aria's hungry...  
Me: -stomach growls- Maybeh...  
Flay: ENOUGH! Read and review, or I'll come and find you.  
Me: HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE!  
Shadowshiv: What is up with you today?


	10. The Sleeper Awakens

a/n: This chapter was originally titled 'The Crystal Grotto' but it's been split in half.

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_"So should I finish the introduction, or are you going to magic the names out of everyone else?"_

**Deepest Night. Chapter 9.  
****The Sleeper Awakens**

* * *

Listening to Flay laugh, Gregor's hands clenched into furious fists. In the short time he had spent with the rat, he knew her to be cold, rebellious, and devoid of compassion or pity. Despite this he would never have thought that she would laugh at a time like this. Gregor couldn't help but think about the creature lying before him. What was the sleeper's name? Did he have any friends? Was there a family that might be awake long into the night waiting for him to come home?

To his shock, no one else seemed to share his outrage. Shadowshiv began chuckling softly, but that was to be expected. He had never trusted her, no matter what she said about changing. Ripred looked amused, and rolled his eyes when Gregor looked at him. Of course, Ripred had never shown remorse at the death of anything, big or small. And so Gregor turned to Luxa, the one person he knew he could count on to feel as he did. Luxa was gazing at the sleeper, fingers pressed to her lips as she tried to hold back a smile. Gregor scowled, and his lips parted over his teeth in an expression not unlike a snarling gnawer.

Just as he was about to go off on them, Ripred walked over to the dead sleeper. The grey rat knelt and began speaking to the corpse. Gregor's brow furrowed in confusion as he listened to what Ripred was saying.

"The danger is over, my friend," Ripred informed the sleeper, "So why don't you wake up before my friend has a stroke?"

The sleeper's eyelids fluttered momentarily, and then opened. With a slight grunt of exertion, the sleeper rolled over onto it's feet and stood up. His tail, long and covered with very short, sparse fur, curled and lengthened as he tried to get the blood running within it again. The sleeper stretched, and let out an enormous yawn that exhibited his teeth perfectly. Unlike the gnawers, who had long top and bottom fangs in the front of their mouth, and smaller teeth running along the rest, the sleeper's teeth were very much like a wolf's, with long protruding canines.

Flay was laughing even harder at the shocked expression on Gregor's face, and Luxa let out a small cough that sounded suspiciously like she was hiding a laugh. Ripred walked back toward the group, and murmured out of the side of his mouth, "Before you ask. No, he wasn't really dead."

"I figured that out," Gregor retorted angrily.

"I have been waiting for you."

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice; it was the sleeper, staring at them with a look of recognition on its face. His voice was quiet, but low and carried well; there was a vaguely distant quality to it that seemed familiar to Gregor.

"Hello to you too," Ripred replied, and then adopted a slightly formal tone, "I'm Ripred, the representative of the gnawers. This is my bond--"

As Ripred gestured toward Luxa, the sleeper's wide blue eyes latched onto her. "Queen Luxa of Regalia, it is an honor and a pleasure to welcome you to the lands of the sleepers. And greetings to you as well, Gregor the Overlander, Warrior of Grey."

Gregor's eyebrows literally shot up, shocked with how knowledgeable the sleeper was about them. Ripred had said the sleepers were disconnected from the outside world, but this one seemed to know pretty much everything about them. Of course, that might have been an error on the rat's part. Both Luxa and Gregor turned to Ripred for an explanation, but he merely scowled and said, "So should I finish the introduction, or are you going to magic the names out of everyone else?" The formal tone he had used previously was gone, replaced by his normal cynicism.

The sleeper smiled a little bit, seemingly unfazed by both the amazement of the group, and Ripred's sarcastic tone. "Oh, no, please continue," he urged the gnawer, then looked around curiously, "But where is the Bane?"

Everyone automatically turned to Flay, who had sobered up throughout the conversation. She scowled and muttered something about being singled out. "She isn't the Bane," Shadowshiv said finally, "but she's the closest thing you'll find."

"Oh dear," the sleeper slumped slightly; "I seem to have made an error..."Confusion was evident on everyone's face. What was the sleeper talking about? Luxa, ever the diplomat stepped in hurriedly,

"Please, good sleeper, tell us what wounded you so."

The sleeper gave her a grateful look, and sat back on his haunches. "My name is Trinelaech."

"Try saying that three times fast," Erin muttered to Flay.

She laughed and added, "Or once." They both giggled quietly until Howard hushed them.

"I was taken by surprise," said the sleeper, "and I believe they were surprised as well. I was attacked by a group of darters. There were three of them, and it was at a stalemate for a time. I am afraid, however, that fighting is not something that I am used to, and I lost ground. I had numerous wounds by that time, and thus when I feigned death, they were convinced that I had been slain."

"When was this?" Howard asked, the doctor in him was already assessing the damage the sleeper had taken.

"Six and a half hours, give or take a couple minutes," the sleeper said. Gregor's mouth dropped open, six hours? He had stayed still like that for six hours! The sleeper began talking quietly, almost to himself, "I do not know why the darters have left their lands. This is very far from the Dry Lands where they live. Perhaps something is agitating them to move."

"Yes, actually, there is," Ripred told him, "war has come to you."

"Surely not!" The sleeper exclaimed, distress quickly spreading across his long pointed face.

"Hang on, you said it took days to reach the Grotto," Erin said accusingly to Ripred.

"It does, actually," Ripred replied, and turned to the sleeper, "would you mind telling us what you are doing so far from home, Trinelaech? And a nickname would be great."

"A...nick name?" The sleeper looked confused.

Ripred heaved a sigh and explained slowly, "Your name is very difficult for them to pronounce. Is there a short form of it that we could use?"

"I see," the sleeper said, informal speech seemed to confuse him, "You may call me Trin, if that is your wish. As to your question, I have been here for fifteen years."

A flood of shocked expressions greeted that statement. That was before most of them were born.

"Many years ago, I saw something in a dream. A vision, if you will. I saw a great danger looming over my homeland. Troubled by this, I left the Grotto, to look out for this coming dark. Four years ago, I had another vision, this time it was a group of people at this very spot. I saw the Queen, the Warrior, the Peacemaker, and a few others. In my vision, however, you were also accompanied by the Bane, a large male. Many of those whom I see today were not in the vision."

Trin pointed at Shadowshiv, Nike, Erin and Spica. "There was also a large black bat." Gregor scowled slightly at the reminder of Ares's absence. There was still a stab of grief and guilt whenever his bond's name was mentioned.

"I am quite certain that I was given this vision for a reason, and I can only assume it has to do with the war you mentioned. I would be honored to lead you to the court of King Nysamar," Trin intoned formally.

Ripred spoke up, "Thank you, for your kind offer. We will accept it--"

"Ripred..." growled Luxa angrily, reminding him that she would not take the backseat while he made all the decisions.

Her bond turned and glared at her, "If you would allow me to finish, I was going to say that we will accept the offer, if the queen has no objection. So do you?"

Luxa shook her head silently. "Good. Now then Trin, why don't you take us some place we can set up camp?"

"Of course, I know the perfect place. Kindly follow me." The sleeper smiled pleasantly, and gestured to the east toward a large jutting stone.

"Just let me have a quick word with my companions, and we will be right with you," Ripred continued in a polite tone that he was obviously uncomfortable using. Trin took the hint, and walked a few paces off so that eh was out of hearing distance.

Luxa scowled at him, "Well, what is it that is so urgent?"

Ripred ignored her and turned to the others, "What do you think of our new friend?"

Gregor thought his name was impossible to pronounce, but he knew if he said anything Ripred would mock him. "He's a bit...off, isn't he?" Erin commented.

"He said that he had visions," Nike said, "is he a seer, perhaps?"

"The sleeper claims to be a poor fighter, however, his teeth and claws are rather intimidating," Howard observed.

"What did he mean by 'feign death?'" Gregor asked finally.

Ripred sighed and cast a glance backward at Trin, "He is an excellent representative of his species. Sleepers are ethereal, disconnected, and downright odd. The visions he was talking about? That's fairly common too. Most of the time they come in the form of dreams, although a few swear they have visions at will, picking up names, memories, or even thoughts. Personally I think they're full of shit, but for once it isn't my opinion that matters. Most sleepers haven't exercised their martial abilities for half a generation, although I have known some sleepers to be fearsome opponents. Feign death is the term they use for the state we saw him in. Still, with almost no heartbeat, dead to any enemy. Does that answer everything?"

"Almost," said Flay, "do they all have impossible names?"

"Some more than others, but for all intents and purposes, yes." Ripred replied with a smirk, "Now, I think we have left our host waiting long enough. A final word of caution: although they seem distant and oblivious, they can be shrewd at times. Be careful."

"Finished?" Trin asked politely, when he got an affirmative he smiled, "Excellent. Come, come, and let us get you to sleep. Very soon you shall be before King Nysamar."

Ripred: You cheated the poor people.  
Aria: How?  
Ripred: There was more of me in the next chapter!  
Flay: Egotist  
Gregor: I'm still confused...  
Shadowshiv: You always are. Hush.  
Gregor: Well I know I don't like you!  
Aria: Who does? Other than Lulu of course.  
Luxa: Quiet yourselves. There was no point to this anyway.  
Trin: Except to say that Callisto edited this chapter.


	11. The Crystal Grotto

* * *

_I suggest you shut the hell up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are not the only one to have a hard life and you will get no sympathy from me or anyone else._

* * *

**Deepest Night. Chapter 10.**

**The Crystal Grotto**

* * *

Trin woke the group up early the next day, informing them that if they got started right away they could reach the Crystal Grotto that day.

"Why do they call it the Crystal Grotto?" Ariadne wondered aloud as they all mounted up. The sleeper smiled mysteriously. The group was fast learning that everything he did was mysterious, even if he wasn't meaning for it to be.

"I believe I will let you see for yourself, good lady," he told her, "I would hate to ruin the surprise."

XXXXX

The day continued uneventfully. The only thing of interest was the steady decline of temperature from comfortable to chilly, and the quartz crystals appearing with increasing frequency. After finishing their dinner they didn't stop to rest for the night. Instead they continued onwards until they came to the entrance to a large tunnel. The fliers glided to the ground to deposit their passengers at a signal from Trinelaech.

"This tunnel gets much smaller about a hundred feet in, you will not be able to ride," he informed the group. "We have come to the only entrance to the Crystal Grotto, stay close to each other for if you become lost you may never find your way out."

With this warning they proceeded cautiously. Everyone was curious as to what they would find ahead; no outsiders had seen the Crystal Grotto for almost a generation. Gregor was expecting something similar to the tunnels the gnawers lived in; the sleepers seemed so similar to the gnawers that he assumed the places they lived were similar as well. Some of the group like Ripred and Luxa knew what to expect from descriptions in old books, but not a one of them was prepare for what loomed out of the shadows when the narrows tunnel emptied into an enormous cavern.

The Crystal Grotto. It had been the home of the sleepers for hundreds of centuries. An ethereal race, given to flights of fancy and appreciative of beauty, the sleepers had searched long and hard for a home that appealed to their sense of fantasy-like splendor. On the edge of the Uncharted Lands they found that place. An enormous cavern, filled with crystals of all shapes, colors, and sizes provided them the homeland they desired. They had been on friendly terms with the diggers at that time, and after multiple alliances, pacts, and trade agreements, they finally got the diggers to work for them. Decades passed and the diggers worked and toiled until the cave filled with crystals was transformed into a city. The buildings lacked the towering grandeur of Regalia, but they flowed with a simplistic beauty that the human city could never hope to accomplish. There was not a straight surface anywhere, and with the smooth crystal the buildings looked like they were made of water.

Trin smiled as they entered the Grotto, glad to be home at last. The shocked looks on everyone's faces may have contributed to his smile as well. "Welcome to the Crystal Grotto, my friends. It is a pleasure to present to you my home."

The first one to speak was Shadowshiv. "Damn." She drew the 'a' out in an expression of her wonder.

Ripred shrugged, attempting to look unimpressed, "It's pretty enough, I suppose. Must be cold as hell in those crystal buildings though."

"We are mostly used to is, however you are correct in assuming that the design is not very practical," Trin said, leading them toward the city. "The buildings are only one story, and they have extensive basements."

"So where are we going?" Gregor asked. "To the king right? I mean, we have to tell him about the war and stuff."

Trin chuckled softly, "You are very eager, Gregor the Warrior--"

"Could you please not call me Warrior? I've kind of tried to get rid of that title. I mean, I know you weren't there, but I…kind of killed the Warrior a long time ago." Gregor cut him off without meaning to, it just slipped out. He looked embarrassed afterward, and said he was sorry.

"Do not apologize, I would not want to call you something that made you uncomfortable, Gregor the Overlander. As I was saying, you are very eager, but I am afraid you must wait until the morrow," Trinelaech replied. He was leading them off to the side, toward the opening of what appeared to be another tunnel.

"Why not?" Luxa demanded abruptly. She stopped in the middle of the trail they were walking down, as if she had just realized they were not going to see the king and she refused to continue until she got an answer.

Trin turned and gazed at her with his wide blue eyes, "It is very late, Your Highness, and at this time the king refuses all visitors, even ones such as yourself. I can only lead you to your accommodations, and present you to him as early as possible tomorrow."

Luxa scowled openly, looking distracted she took her crown off her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "I suppose that will have to do," she muttered. It was obvious she was still frustrated. The young queen didn't replace her crown, but instead tucked it into her shirt.

XXXXX

They reached the tunnel after a few minutes of walking. The path they were on circled half the crystal city, and gave them the perfect opportunity to look at the crystal formations from all angles. There were a few crystals jutting naturally around the entrance, and within there was some kind of moss that glowed with a cold blue light.

"Welcome to the Crystal Grotto, esteemed visitors," a feminine voice drifted from the tunnel, and out strode a cream colored sleeper. She smiled at the group, her bright gold eyes sparkling happily as though there was nothing she wanted more than to be there at that moment.

"May I introduce Kischiel?" Trin gestured to the silky female sleeper. "She is the ambassador for the sleepers, and my wife." He added this proudly, and they shared a warm smile.

"Greetings, if you wish I will show you to your rooms," Kischiel gestured into the tunnel, which they soon learned wasn't a tunnel. She proudly explained that long ago when the sleepers frequently entertained emissaries they had a cave excavated with rooms that suited each species. The fliers quickly swooped into the bat room which was complete with a stone ledge they could hang from.

"Oh, this is very nice," Spica remarked as he settled down.

"Very nice indeed," Aurora agreed happily. Within moments all four fliers were sleeping contentedly, exhausted from the long flight.

The rest of the group ran into some trouble when it came to getting into their own rooms. Ripred demanded that he had a room to himself, of course the biggest and most luxurious, and the other rooms were only big enough for two people each.

"All right, pair off," he demanded. They all milled about for a little while in front of the remaining rooms. Gregor and Luxa immediately paired together, as did Erin and Flay. Shadowshiv was off to the side looking irritated, as if being paired up like this was beneath her. Howard was looking confused as he looked back and forth between the pairs trying to decide if he wanted to go with Luxa to keep her away from Gregor, or if he wanted to try and get in a room with Erin.

Ripred rolled his eyes prominently, "Alright, I can see this isn't going to work out smoothly. I guess I'll just have to pair you off myself."

"Like hell you are!" Flay protested angrily. Her ears were angled back on her head, and her tail twitched indignantly.

Howard finally made up his mind and said, "I am rooming with Erin." Flay unleashed a torrent of swears at him, and Erin sighed and leaned up against the wall. Luxa and Gregor were slowly edging toward their room, which had a curtain for privacy like the other rooms.

"Oh no, you two. That's the first group I'm splitting up, because I don't want babies on this trip. We managed to get here without the darling crawler princess, and I would really like to keep it this quiet," Ripred told them, cynicism rolled off his tongue with ease, "As if we need any more drama, with Flay along."

Luxa looked like she wanted to protest, but Howard nodded emphatically and she settled for glaring at him.

"Don't piss her off Howard, you're going to have to deal with her tonight," the grey rat laughed.

"Excuse me?" Howard objected, Luxa shot him a smug look. "Why can I not room with Erin?"

Ripred smirked, "We also don't want any deaths on this trip, and I'm sure Erin would appreciate your respect for her personal space."

"So, um," Gregor spoke up finally, he shifted uncomfortably as he asked, "Who'm I going with?"

"Let's see if we can clear this up. Luxa, Howard, you're in one room. Gregor, Erin you two are in the other. And our favorite little gnawers get to sleep in the gnawer's room." Immediately both of the females began to protest.

"I'm not sleeping with her!"

"I'm not little you arrogant son of a--"

"Yes, yes, I know you think you actually have some say in this, but let's cut to the chase," Ripred cut across their complaints coldly, "this is the only way no one gets killed. So stop arguing with me, because I'm going to win, and get your happy little asses in your rooms."

No one could think of anything to say to that, and they slowly paired off and went into their respective rooms. Kischiel smirked, an expression that looked odd on her sweet airy features, and Trin and Ripred shared a look as if to say, 'Kids these days.'

XXXXX

"He really _pisses _me off sometimes!" Gregor seethed to Erin. She just shrugged and heaved her bag onto her bed. Then the girl grabbed Gregor by his collar and shoved him face first into a corner, "What the hell, Erin?"

"Stay. If you turn around before I tell you to I'll feed you to…something with sharp teeth…" She drifted off, and he heard her rummaging around in her bag for a few moments. Curious, he slowly turned, eyes straining to get a glimpse of what she was doing that was so private. When he saw he flushed hotly and turned around quickly before she noticed. "All right, I'm done."

He turned around, a trace of blush still lingering around his ears. She was dressed in a loose shirt and some simple shorts. Very high shorts. Her eyebrow raised slightly, and he tried to cover himself, "So, you're not mad at Ripred for splitting us up?"

"Not really, I'm just glad I have a bed," she grinned and collapsed onto said bed with a joyful squeal. Erin scrambled under the covers and smirked at Gregor, "Did you enjoy the peep show?"

Gregor turned bright scarlet and muttered something about accidents.

"Oh get over it, Gregor, I know you looked," she rolled her eyes, then murmured in awe, "You're really embarrassed aren't you?" He nodded and stared at the ground.

The black haired girl laughed, "Geez, Gregor, you live with three women, haven't you seen a girl's back before? Prude," she accused, teasing him.

"Go to sleep, Erin," he told her, tossing a pillow at her head.

"Ok, fine, I will," she replied, looking offended. She rolled toward the wall and called over her shoulder, "You can't go to sleep until I do."

Gregor looked at her quizzically, her instructions made no sense at all and he told her so. Erin laughed again, "You snore, stupid, and I'll never fall asleep listening to you. You're worse than Ripred."

With that declaration she launched the pillow at his head, rolled over, and closed her eyes to sleep.

XXXXX

Erin's giggles could be heard through the wall, along with muffled speech. "They sound as though they are enjoying themselves," Howard observed coldly. Both he and Luxa had prepared themselves for bed, and try as he might he couldn't block out the sounds of Erin's mirth.

"Why do you worry so much about the two of them?" Luxa asked curiously, lying on her stomach with her chin in her cupped hands, "Do you still have feelings for her?"

Howard scowled and drew his knees up to his chest. He and Luxa had become very close in the past year or so, and Howard had come to see the young queen as another sister. At times like this he knew he could confide in her and not be judged.

"I…I do not know, Luxa. It is difficult for me to decide," he admitted, "I cannot have a relationship with her because she will expect marriage, and I cannot give that to her. I could not have an Overland wife as the Lord of the Fount. I still want her to be my friend, though, and she cares nothing for me."

Luxa smiled at her cousin, he was older than her by a little over two years, but sometimes he was not as knowledgeable as he liked to appear. "She does not expect marriage, Howard, and she never did," before he could protest she continued, "and she still cares for you. Erin is just hurt, but soon she will realize that she still wants your friendship and will tell you so."

Howard ran a hand through his soft silver hair and gave his cousin a tentative smile, "Thanks, Lu," he told her gratefully.

The thirteen year old girl nodded, "Of course, Howard, what are friends for?" She felt a quick surge of relief that he didn't bring up her relationship with Gregor.

"Now then," Howard said crossing over to Luxa's bed. "Let me hear about you and the Overlander."

Luxa groaned and buried her face in her hands.

XXXXX

"I don't know why you're acting like this is the end of the world," Shadowshiv drawled from the well made nest in one corner of the gnawer's room, "we're in comfortable rooms in the Crystal Grotto, one of the most beautiful places in the world, and tomorrow we will speak with King Nysamar, something that no one alive has ever done before."

Shadowshiv paused here, to see if she would get a reaction from Flay. There was no sign to show that the young white gnawer had even heard her words, let alone had something to say about them. Flay was pacing back and forth like a caged animal from one side of the room to the other. The room had a single lamp, unlike the well lit rooms of the humans. The edges of the room were shrouded in shadows that shifted and swayed whenever Flay passed, almost like they were trying to cling to her but lacked the strength to do so.

The older female sighed, "Yet here you are acting as though we have been imprisoned and face execution. What is wrong with you, child?"

Flay finally reacted, but not in an answer to Shadow's question, "Don't call me that," she snapped angrily, "I'm not a child."

"Oh?" Shadowshiv's eyebrows raised, "You certainly look like a child to me, small, slender, and juvenile. You probably won't grow very much more, but hopefully you'll actually mature a bit. If not, we're all in trouble."

The cold grey eyes glared daggers at the shadowmelder, "I haven't been a child since my mother died," she snarled furiously, she stopped her restless pacing but her tail thrashed in agitation, "which, if you remember, was _your_ fault. Perhaps that is the reason I do not fully appreciate the situation. I do not like you. I thought I made that clear enough."

In a moment Shadowshiv was up off of her nest and in Flay's face, lips twisted into a snarl, "And I thought I had made it clear that we're in this together. If you want to survive you're going to have to put away your silly little grudge. In case _you_ don't remember, pup, I didn't kill your mother. Your mother and my mate killed each other. Neither of us had anything to do with their deaths, so I suggest you shut the hell up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are not the only one to have a hard life and you will get no sympathy from me or anyone else."

Flay scowled at her, "Leave me alone," she demanded and turned away.

Then Shadowshiv struck her with her tail, not hard, but enough to get her attention. "Listen to me, and you listen good. You're smart and you have the makings of a good gnawer if you stop throwing around your feelings like a banner. Because let me tell you something, girl, no one cares. This is the Underland, my dear, and no one is looking to make you happy or comfortable. You need to toughen up and do whatever it takes to keep going. Survival is the name of the game, and if you can suck up your false pride and listen to someone who knows what they're talking about you may learn something that will help you out."

The smoke colored gnawer gave her a scathing glance and strode toward her nest. She curled up comfortably and said, "If you figure that out, love, you might just turn out alright."

XXXXX

The sleepers have a very distinct idea of beauty. They are a people very disconnected from traditional values and ideals. They sleep early and long, their dreams woven from the past, the future, and the magic that binds imagination. In their minds beauty is what can compare closely to the visions they see in their mind. Shifting colors, shining stars, and sparkling lights all flowing and shifting together with the effortless grace of water. That is beauty to a sleeper, and they spent decades making their surroundings reflect this.

The relationship between royalty and subjects was akin to parent and child. The sleepers felt loving awe for their rulers, and as such wanted them to have the best of everything. So when it came to the making of the Citadel, as it was called, there were no reservations.

The Citadel was a perfect dome, with four graceful spires leaping into the air in a square around it. Tiny bridges, light as gossamer, linked the four spires, looking so light that they could be blown away by a single breath. The entrance of the Citadel was a double door, fashioned to look like a pair of stylized eyes. Every bit of it was built from sparkling crystals that caught the light and reflected it in tiny shimmering rainbows. It was a sight that left one breathless, and it did just that with the group.

They had actually managed to get some sleep the night before, although Gregor found himself sleeping in the hallway at one point, and Ripred claimed he was on the verge of killing both Flay and Shadowshiv to stop the noise they were making with their quarrels. Trin related to them the proud history of the Crystal Grotto as they walked through the city.

Gregor was a bit surprised that they didn't attract more attention than they did. A few times they caught sleeper kits following the group, but the older sleepers seemed not to be troubled by the outsiders walking through their city. They spare a few glances and a couple smiles, but for the most part the group was ignored. Gregor recalled the time he had walked through Regalia prey to gawks, stares, and pointed fingers. This was much different, and it underlined the every day difference between the sleepers and the other races.

When they entered the Citadel Trinelaech left them in a large hall, claiming that he had served his purpose and could no longer be of any use to the outsiders. "Don't be fooled," Ripred remarked, "he's just trying to get away from us, we're far too noisy for him. Now that he's done his job he's going to back to dreaming himself mad."

"I don't blame him," Gregor said to the general amazement of his companions, "I mean, we show up out of nowhere, and even if he was expecting us, we weren't exactly knights in shining armor to come and 'vanquish the darkness.' All we did was show up and say, hey there's a war, take us to your leader."

Ripred stared at him blankly for a few moments before observing, "That was probably the most intelligent thing I've heard you say this entire trip. Did someone hit him on the head or something?" Everybody shook their heads, and Gregor glared at the rat until Luxa swatted him playfully in the back of the head to general amusement.

"Salutations, good travelers," a dark grey sleeper had emerged from an antechamber, "The King and Queen will see you now."

Everyone stood and filed into an enormous thrown room, at the end sat two sleepers. The thrown was a single large crystal that looked almost like a pair of hands. The sleeper on the left, a large male with silver fur spoke in a low strong voice, "Welcome, friends, I am King Nysamar, and I greet you in the name of the Crystal Grotto." Unlike the sleepers they had met so far, Nysamar had a sharp glint of cleverness in his eyes instead of the vacant distant look they had come to expect.

Beside him his made, a lovely gold-furred female, also spoke, "I hope you have enjoyed your stay so far, we are overjoyed to have you. I am Queen Zhaladhra." She added her name and title as an after thought. Unlike her mate, she had that dazed wide eyed look about her.

The pleasantries continued for sometime, and then silence fell. Luxa shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to proceed. Technically Ripred should have been the one to inform the sleepers of the coming war, since the gnawers were the sleeper's allies, and it had been at his insistence they had made this journey. Finally Ripred spoke before the silence became uncomfortable, but after hearing what he said, Gregor thought it would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all.

"Please, tell me why you were not able to see us last night," Ripred began, then as thought he realized it wasn't exactly the best thing to say, he shifted the blame to Luxa, "Our young queen was quite put out about that."

The grey rat found himself victim to a number of glares, but he shrugged and waited for an answer. Nysamar smiled indulgently and replied softly, "Do you have any children, Ripred, Ambassador of the Gnawers?" Ripred gave a stiff nod, uncomfortable with the inadvertent reminder of his dead family. Nysamar continued, "Then you will understand that as a parent, your children come before any other duty that you may have."

Ripred shrugged and then nodded, accepting the answer. Luxa finally spoke, "Good king, we have come on an urgent matter, our intelligence reports that the darters have been allying with the enemies of both the gnawers and the humans. Knowing that the darters are your enemy, we traveled here to warn you."

"And thus gain my aid in your own battle, is that right young queen Luxa of Regalia?" Nysamar countered smoothly, "I know that you humans have no love for the sleepers, and would not do this merely out of the good of your own hearts. You came to our aid in hopes of remuneration, and because your new allies the gnawers would forsake you if you did not come. I knew why you were here before you came before me, and so I must ask you to hold your political business for a moment longer, young queen."

Luxa looked deeply offended, but had the sense to stay silent and smooth her affronted look. Gregor brushed the small of her back, silently telling her she had done the right thing.

"There are very pressing matters to attend to, Ripred the Peacemaker," Nysamar was speaking to the large gnawer once more, "matters that will decide with whom the sleepers fight in this coming war. And have no doubts that it will come to war, for it shall. Our seers have already confirmed this. What I wish to know now, is why one of my scouting teams was mercilessly slaughtered by a group of gnawers five months ago."

Nysamar looked accusingly at the three gnawers in the group, his expression grave and serious. Ripred look at a loss of what to say, and a tight silence grew like the uneasy calm before the storm until…

"Oops…?"

XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

Ripred: Oh god...what did you do?  
Aria: What did who do? I haven't specified yet!  
Erin: -snickers- I think Gregor's gay...  
Flay: Well duh...  
Gregor: Nuh-uh!  
Luxa: -scowl- I can't believe you did that Gregor...  
Gregor: Well...I was scared! I thought she was coming at me with a knife or something!  
Spica: I hate to interrupt, but Callisto edited this chapter.  
Aria:...oh ya!  
Ariadne (the bat): And I am owned by Dead Chick Walking NOT that one person.  
Ripred: Ya...screw them.

-

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Mk, guys, I know I said it in Heaven and Hell, but I seriously mean it. I have 9 people voted in my poll and there is a three way tie . I can only write one of those! Come on people!


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